Solar energy communities

With the current incentives and cost structures in place, renewable energy communities that utilize the energy generated from photovoltaic and battery systems are candidate to dominate the distributed generation landscape. In this paper, recently published for the scientific journal Renewable Energy, and developed within the framework of the TRUST PV project, our researchers explore critical challenges in electricity system management that may emerge from the deployment of renewable energy communities.

"In this paper, we highlight some important critical issues in electric system management that could result from the deployment of RECs if PV/battery system generation cannot meet the entire community demand. Thus, we show how a flexible PV system (PV/battery systems able to provide firm/dispatchable generation) can be cost-effectively dimensioned to supply 24/365 96%-97% of the demand of a residential users’ community" says Marco Pierro first author of the study.

The results indicate that, at these production costs, fully solar-powered RECs are not only technologically viable but also economically advantageous for both PV producers and community members. The implementation of virtual corporate PPAs could lead to reductions in electricity bills for REC members of 11% to 5%, all without necessitating any upfront investments, while simultaneously increasing the revenue for producers by 18% to 22%.

Link to the original scientific article