Optimal operation of energy storage devices with RESs to improve efficiency of distribution grids; technical and economical assessment

Electricity distribution grids are a crucial part of power systems as they are providing customers with the power demanded. This importance, absorbs a huge funding to be invested in this section. To reduce distribution grid losses, a wide variety of approaches are being deployed including optimal distribution substation placement and network reconfiguration. Introduction of higher storage capacities has made it possible to use them in power grids while it is highly appreciated to generate energy in a distributed manner and store it near customers due to environmental considerations. In this research, the idea of adding energy storage devices to the grid is investigated and its effect is studied on the efficiency of distribution grids. The objective function introduced in this paper calculates electricity grid losses while considering limitations of using energy storage devices. Dynamic programming is used to solve the problem on CIGRE low voltage grid as a standard benchmark. Several experiments show efficiency of the proposed method. In achieving results, simultaneous use of photovoltaic and energy storage devices is considered. Finally, the most economical solution is proposed after an economic evaluation of the solutions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.