Optimal Sizing and Energy Management of Smart-Transformer-based Energy Storage Systems for Residential Communities

The increasing penetrations of distributed generators and electric vehicles result in significant fluctuations and imbalances between power generation and consumption. To address these challenges, a feasible approach is to deploy local energy storage systems in microgrids. Smart transformers (STs) with flexible controllability and high reliability might be a promising solution to integrate distributed generators and energy storage systems. Therefore, this paper investigates ST-based power architectures for residential community applications. To enhance the resilience of such communities, two configurations with different energy storage technologies are proposed for noncritical and critical loads, respectively. An optimization framework considering both component sizing and energy management is formulated for two cases under yearly operation. The formulated co-design optimization problems can be effectively solved at a low computational cost. Furthermore, proper configuration and optimal sizing of energy storage systems can help reduce the total cost and even achieve self-sufficiency for communities.