Dispatching policies for stationary battery storage in the presence of photovoltaic systems and electric vehicle supply equipment

Energy systems are experiencing a growth of distributed generation from Renewable Energy Sources (RES) thanks to their contribution to the transition towards sustainable systems. The adoption of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BEESs) represents a key-enabling technology to increase the penetration of RESs, as they can mitigate their main drawbacks (i.e., intermittency and uncertainty) by enabling the capability of non-simultaneous production and consumption. BESSs are typically operated by implementing rule-based algorithms, mainly aiming at increasing the self-consumption of the energy produced by renewables. Nevertheless, different dispatching policies can be applied, particularly in the presence of intermittent but relevant load demands, such as those introduced by electric vehicle supply equipment. In this study, the System Advisor Model developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the United States of America was used to test and compare different BESS dispatching policies by referring to a real case study. The reference use case is a building located in the engineering campus of the University of Brescia, Italy, equipped with a 64 kWp photovoltaic system and a 25.2 kWh and 13.8 kWp Lithium-Ion BESS. The results of the analyses show that the semi-automatic Automated Grid Power Target policy was the most performant for the considered use case, both in terms of demand peaks reduction and load shifting, by, at the same time, providing relevant flexibility options. These results can be used as managerial insights supporting policy makers and energy system users for the evaluation of dispatching policies. © 2022, AIDI - Italian Association of Industrial Operations Professors. All rights reserved.