Flexibility from local resources: Congestion management in distribution grids, carbon emission reductions, and frequency containment reserves
Doktorsavhandling, 2024


Flexibility from resources within local energy systems has been discussed as a facilitator for the transition towards a carbon-neutral energy system. This thesis aims to elucidate three local flexibility usecases that contribute to harnessing local flexibility through effective incentive mechanisms and operation planning.

The first usecase is on congestion management in distribution grids, studying the challenges, design, and evaluation of local flexibility markets (LFMs). Methods include literature review, field studies, scenario planning, and simulation experiments. Five design challenges are identified: low market liquidity, reliability concerns, baselines, forecast errors at low aggregation levels, and high submeter measurement costs. An LFM design with a triple-market structure (long-term availability, day-ahead, and adjustment markets) is proposed to support decision-making and improve market reliability and liquidity. Adapted capacity-limitation products based on net-load and subscribed connection capacity of end-users are suggested. These products can reduce conflicts of interest, administrative costs, and submeter measurement costs. Probabilistic approaches are suggested for calculating the cost and value of the products, reducing the potential cost of forecast errors for market participants. A comparison toolbox for congestion management solutions is developed, offering researchers and distribution system operators (DSO) a qualitative comparison framework and a reusable modeling platform for quantitative comparison.

The second usecase is on reducing carbon emission footprint from local energy systems. A multi-objective optimization model is provided for identifying CO2 emission abatement strategies and their cost using Chalmers Campus local multi-energy system as a case study. The results show that the carbon emission footprint of the local system could be reduced by 20.8% with a 2.2% increase in the cost over a year. Operation strategies for this purpose include the increase in the use of biomass boilers in heat production, the substitution of district heating and absorption chillers with heat pumps, and increased storage utilization. The cost of the strategies ranged from 36.6--100.2 (€/tCO2).

The third usecase focuses on the operation planning of a battery energy storage (BES) participating in Sweden’s day-ahead (DA) electricity and frequency containment reserve (FCR) markets. Maximum potential profit, battery aging, and operation strategies are presented using a mixed-integer linear formulation that considers a detailed calendar and cycle aging for the battery while taking into account market technical requirements. Considering degradation in the optimization problem, a 1MW/1MWh BES in 2022 could gain a maximum potential profit of k€ 708 by stacking revenue in the DA and FCR markets while undergoing an expected aging of 1.7% in battery capacity. Analyzing the impact of considering degradation in the optimization problem has shown that the annual battery aging cost could decrease by 5%-29% without a significant impact on profit.

The results of this thesis benefit system operators, flexibility asset owners, policy makers, and researchers involved with local flexibility. It offers insights into the challenges and proposes solutions and algorithms for these usecases.

Flexibility

emission abatement strategies

battery degradation

baseline

distribution system operator

revenue stacking

local energy system

congestion management

frequency containment reserves

local flexibility market

HC1, Hörsalsvägen 14, Chalmers University of Technology
Opponent: Professor Irina Oleinikova, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway

Författare

Nima Mirzaei Alavijeh

Chalmers, Elektroteknik, Elkraftteknik

Key Drivers and Future Scenarios of Local Energy and Flexibility Markets

2021 IEEE Madrid PowerTech, PowerTech 2021 - Conference Proceedings,;(2021)

Paper i proceeding

Local flexibility market framework for grid support services to distribution networks

Electrical Engineering,;Vol. 104(2022)p. 401-419

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift

Capacity limitation based local flexibility market for congestion management in distribution networks: Design and challenges

International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems,;Vol. 156(2024)

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift

A toolbox for comparing congestion management solutions for distribution networks

2023 IEEE Belgrade PowerTech, PowerTech 2023,;(2023)

Paper i proceeding

N. Mirzaei Alavijeh, R. Khezri, M. Mazidi, D. Steen, and Le. A. T. Profit benchmarking and degradation analysis for revenue stacking of batteries in Sweden’s day-ahead electricity and frequency containment reserve markets

In traditional electricity systems, end-users and local resources are assumed to be inelastic and passive in their behavior. The emergence of automation and intelligent control systems, together with the increasing number of distributed resources, such as batteries, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and photovoltaic panels, have enabled end-users to take a more active role in the operation of electricity systems. By being more active, the local resources of end-users could support the system by providing flexibility in their consumption or production if provided with appropriate incentives.

This thesis elucidates three usecases of flexibility from local resources. The first usecase aims at the need for additional network capacity in electricity distribution grids. Local flexibility market (LFM) is a market-based incentive mechanism to enable local flexibility for this need. The thesis identifies the challenges of LFMs, and proposes a market design and evaluation toolbox to assess the design.

The second usecase aims at the need and potential preference of end-users to reduce their carbon emission footprints. The thesis proposes an optimization algorithm for the operation of local multi-energy systems including electricity, heating, and cooling networks. The algorithm provides a trade-off between cost and emissions while identifying operation strategies to reduce carbon emission footprints.

The third usecase aims at the need for grid frequency regulation. The thesis proposes an optimization algorithm for revenue stacking of a battery from the day-ahead electricity and frequency containment reserve markets. The model considers a detailed battery degradation model in addition to the market technical requirements.

ENABLING FLEXIBILITY FOR FUTURE DISTRIBUTION GRID (FLEXIGRID)

Europeiska kommissionen (EU) (EC/H2020/864048), 2019-11-01 -- 2023-04-30.

Drivkrafter

Hållbar utveckling

Innovation och entreprenörskap

Styrkeområden

Energi

Infrastruktur

Chalmers kraftcentral

Ämneskategorier

Elektroteknik och elektronik

ISBN

978-91-8103-119-5

Doktorsavhandlingar vid Chalmers tekniska högskola. Ny serie: 5577

Utgivare

Chalmers

HC1, Hörsalsvägen 14, Chalmers University of Technology

Online

Opponent: Professor Irina Oleinikova, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2024-10-16