Impact of optimised distributed energy resources on local grid constraints

Optimisation models have been extensively used for finding optimal configuration and operation of distributed energy technologies. The main objective in most of these models is to find the optimal configuration of distributed energy technologies that will meet a certain energy demand with the least cost and emissions. Local grid constraints are not considered in the optimisation of distributed energy resources in most of these models. This implies that some optimal solutions from these models may not be possible to integrate due to a violation of steady state voltage and thermal limits which are important to Distribution Network Operators (DNO). In some cases, where a joint optimisation approach is utilised and local grid constraints are considered, it becomes computationally complex due to the nonlinear nature of Alternating Current (AC) power flow equations for electricity networks. In this paper, the impact of optimised Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on a modelled microgrid was evaluated with an AC time series power flow using a soft-linking method. The soft-linking method avoids the computationally complex nature of joint optimisation methods. Different scenarios of the optimised DER were simulated and evaluated based on voltage excursions and energy losses. The results provide insights into the impact of local grid constraints on the adoption of different scenarios of optimised DER. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).