Grid-Aware Energy Management System for Distribution Grids Based on a Co-Simulation Approach

The energy sector is undergoing a profound transformation to tackle climate change issues rapidly and efficiently. The development of decentralized renewable energy and the electrification of the transport sector are two major aspects affecting electrical grids. This paper presents a novel energy management strategy that supervises controllable loads like electric vehicles and electric water heaters in a distribution grid to reduce energy transmission costs and promote the local consumption of renewable energy. The proposed strategy uses day-ahead forecasts of energy production and consumption to schedule future load profiles. It also considers potential grid constraints using a real-time co-simulation approach. The estimated constraints are mitigated by modifying the controllable loads' dispatch or adjusting their power set-points. The system's performance is finally evaluated on a real distribution grid model during days that present the most voltage constraints in the year.

I. Introduction

As Climate change issues become more imminent and challenging in our modern societies, energy transition policies are increasingly implemented around the world to reduce carbon emissions and encourage the use of green technologies [1]. In this context, France has set several objectives for 2030 like increasing the share of renewable energy to 40% of the total electricity production [2] and installing at least seven million charging points to encourage using all types of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles [3]. However, this massive integration of renewable generation and new electrical loads like electric vehicles can impact the reliability of current distribution networks [4] as well as their hosting capacity and power quality [5], mainly because of the high uncertainties and rapid variations introduced in the consumption and production profiles. All these challenges can lead to expensive grid reinforcements for the Distribution System Operator (DSO) as well as a higher electricity bill for the final consumer if no energy management strategies are adopted.