Evaluation of centralized and distributed microgrid topologies and comparison to Open Energy Systems (OES)

In this study we examine microgrid topologies that combine solar panels and batteries for a community of 20 residential houses: In the first case we consider a system with centralized PV panels and batteries that distributes the energy to the 20 homes. In the second case we consider 20 standalone home systems with roof-top PV panels and batteries. Using real electricity consumption and solar irradiation data we simulated the overall demand energy that could replaced by solar energy for both topologies. The centralized-resources approach achieves better performance but it requires extended planning and high initial investments, while the distributed approach can be gradually built bottom-up. We analyze the additional resource investment needed to reach the same electricity savings as for the centralized topology. Finally, we compare it to a hybrid approach named Open Energy Systems (OES), a 2-layered microgrid made of interconnected nanogrids and show that it improves the solar replacement ratio by autonomously exchanging energy with neighbors.