Lowering peak demand by energy storage investment in industrial energy community
Challenge and objective
There is a need to reduce the peak demand in the grid and increase the amount of renewable energy.
Aim: investigate the economic viability of an industrial consumer installing energy storage, both alone and if it participates in an energy community.
Work performed
We find the optimal size of battery and thermal energy storage.
We use real measurements from a transformer station and an industrial consumer in Norway for one year.
Significant results
Thermal energy storage is the most favourable storage option.
Optimising the storage sizes for the energy community gives cost reduction for the energy community and a reduction in maximum import for the local grid.
The costs are reduced by 1.9%, while the maximum import is reduced by 5%, compared to the reference case where there are no energy storages.
Impact for distribution system innovation
Incentivising collaborative energy communities with industrial consumers can lead to lower peak demand in the grid, allowing for more connections.