Virtual Microgrid Solutions for Robust Electricity Systems

Sammanfattning

In order to accommodate a growing population, the city of Uppsala is planning to build a new city district called Sydöstra stadsdelarna. With the goal of creating a sustainable and robust urban environment, this study will examine the possibility to implement a virtual microgrid in the area. In this paper, a virtual microgrid is defined as a microgrid that consists of multiple virtual power plants connected with a flexibility platform. The aim of the report is to study virtual microgrid solutions for improving electricity system robustness, applicable to the developing area of Sydöstra stadsdelarna. Furthermore, the implementability and possible benefits of virtual microgrids will be studied through interviews with electricity system actors. The method consists of a literature study, interviews with companies and models in Matlab. Simulations show how different PV scenarios and sizes of battery storage impact net consumption and self sufficiency. To investigate robustness further, an outage in the main grid during a week in each season is simulated based on different amounts of electric cars available in the system. From the results, the suggested design for a virtual microgrid is a system with a smaller battery storage capacity reaching 26 percent of the yearly average PV production. Infrastructure which allows utilization of EV batteries is also of importance in order to improve robustness in extreme scenarios. The actors’ attitudes towards virtual microgrids vary, but the interviews show that there is a misalignment between system-level benefits and economic incentives of all actors involved. The broader implementation of virtual microgrids is also currently limited by several structural and regulatory aspects. However, recent changes in regulations might indicate a future in which virtual microgrids more easily could be implemented. Thus, future studies of the topic are relevant and would add value to the development surrounding sustainable grid solutions.