Optimal Sizing of Behind-the-Meter Energy Storage with Stochastic Load and PV Generation for Islanded Operation

Energy storage systems are flexible resources that accommodate and mitigate variability and uncertainty in the load and generation of modern power systems. We present a stochastic optimization approach for sizing and scheduling an energy storage system (ESS) for behind-the-meter use. Specifically, we investigate the use of an ESS with a solar photovoltaic (PV) system and a generator in islanded operation tasked with balancing a critical load. The load and PV generation are uncertain and variable, so forecasts of these variables are used to determine the required energy capacity of the ESS as well as the schedule for operating the ESS and the generator. When the forecasting uncertainties can be fit to normal distributions, the probabilistic load balancing constraint can be reformulated as a linear inequality constraint, and the resulting optimization problem can be solved as a linear program. Finally, we present results from a case study considering the balancing of the critical load of a water treatment plant in islanded operation.