Search Results (61)

The rapid construction and commissioning of battery energy storage system (BESS) installations, both standalone and combined with photovoltaic power plants (PVPPs), is rapidly reshaping the energy market. Mapping these latest iterations in the energy infrastructure allows for a detailed analysis of the effects they have on the grid, in correlation with the already abundant operational PPV. This paper will provide a list of all BESS installations commissioned between 1 January and 30 September 2025. Taking into consideration their grid-connection power, and respective battery capacity, along with their geographical location and co-located (or lack thereof) PVPPs, the following-up analysis aims to answer several key questions: how do these installations compare to one another in terms of power, capacity and distribution across Bulgaria; how do they affect the availability of electric power from PVPP, co-located or not, to the end consumers; and how does that shift in availability affect the profits, both for the BESS and PVPP owners, based on the shifting price of electricity? Full article

This paper presents a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of a community battery energy storage system (BESS) participating concurrently in energy arbitrage and frequency control ancillary services (FCAS) markets, while also providing customer savings through coordinated demand management. The proposed framework employs a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to co-optimize the charging, discharging, and reserve scheduling of the battery under dynamic market conditions. The model explicitly incorporates key operational and economic factors such as round-trip efficiency, degradation cost, market-participation constraints, and revenue from multiple value streams. By formulating the optimization problem within this MILP structure, both the operational feasibility and the economic profitability of the system are evaluated over annual market cycles. Simulation results demonstrate that integrating FCAS participation with conventional energy arbitrage substantially enhances total revenue potential and improves asset utilization, compared with single-service operation. Furthermore, the coordinated management of community demand contributes to additional cost savings and supports local grid reliability. The findings highlight the critical role of co-optimized control and multi-market participation strategies in improving the financial viability and grid-support capabilities of community-scale BESS deployments. Full article

In the background of electricity market reform, combined heat and power (CHP) units must balance electricity market revenues with reliable heat supply. However, the flexibility of CHP units to confront various features of renewable outputs remains to be explored more thoroughly. In this study, day-ahead electricity price curves are classified into four typical categories adopting k-means clustering, featured by diverse temporal trends associated with the output of renewables. An integrated model—capturing the CHP, the battery energy storage system (BESS), and heating network dynamics—supports day-ahead operational optimization. The results suggest that distinct operational strategies are to be implemented under different price profiles. Moreover, incorporating a BESS and exploiting thermal inertia of the network expands arbitrage opportunities and profit from the electricity market. Lastly, an alternation in the operational goal of CHP units is proposed, namely, from thermal-economy-guided to comprehensive-economy-oriented. Comparative results underscore the benefits of the revised strategies. Full article

This study examines the economic performance of residential photovoltaic systems combined with battery storage (PV-BESS) under Poland’s net-billing regime for a single-family household without subsidy support in 10-year operational horizon. These insights extend existing European evidence by demonstrating how net-billing fundamentally alters investment incentives. The analysis incorporates real production data from selected locations and realistic household consumption profiles. Results demonstrate that optimal system configuration (6 kWp PV with 15 kWh storage) achieves 64.3% reduction in grid electricity consumption and positive economic performance with NPV of EUR 599, IRR of 5.32%, B/C ratio of 1.124 and discounted payback period of 9.0 years. The optimized system can cover electricity demand in the summer half-year by over 90% and reduce local network stress by shifting surplus solar generation away from midday peaks. Residential PV-BESS systems can achieve economic efficiency in Polish conditions when properly optimized, though marginal profitability requires careful risk assessment regarding component costs, durability and electricity market conditions. For Polish energy policy, the findings indicate that net-billing creates strong incentives for regulatory instruments that promote higher self-consumption, which would enhance the economic role of residential storage. Full article

The growing share of variable renewable energy sources in power systems is increasing the need for short-term operational flexibility—particularly from large industrial electricity consumers. This study proposes a practical, two-stage optimization framework to unlock this flexibility in cement manufacturing and support participation in electricity balancing markets. In Stage 1, a mixed-integer linear programming model minimizes electricity procurement costs by optimally scheduling the raw milling subsystem, subject to technical and operational constraints. In Stage 2, a flexibility assessment model identifies and evaluates profitable deviations from this baseline, targeting participation in Spain’s manual Frequency Restoration Reserve market. The methodology is validated through a real-world case study at a Spanish cement plant, incorporating photovoltaic (PV) generation and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The results show that flexibility services can yield monthly revenues of up to €800, with limited disruption to production processes. Additionally, combined PV + BESS configurations achieve electricity cost reductions and investment paybacks as short as six years. The proposed framework offers a replicable pathway for integrating demand-side flexibility into energy-intensive industries—enhancing grid resilience, economic performance, and decarbonization efforts. Full article

Electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as cost-effective and eco-friendly alternatives to gasoline cars, but widespread adoption still faces hurdles, notably the scarcity of public fast-charging stations. This paper proposes an optimal method to locate and size a fast-charging station in Barcelona, integrating solar photovoltaics (PV) and a battery energy storage system (BESS). The goal is to reduce range anxiety, cut investment costs, and minimize environmental impact. We introduce a modular, scalable station design compatible with second-life batteries and PV panels. Our methodology is twofold: first, determining the optimal charging infrastructure configuration; second, calculating financial viability via net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR). Results indicate that PV and BESS installation represents the largest cost component, yet energy independence enables rapid capital recovery, with payback in around four years. Selling surplus energy can generate an additional ~4% profit. NPV and IRR values confirm feasibility for scenarios using PV, BESS, or both. Particularly in the highway deployment scenario, combining PV and BESS yields a 72% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, our study demonstrates that integrating renewable generation and storage into fast-charging infrastructure in Barcelona is both economically viable and environmentally beneficial. Full article

The growing share of renewable energy resources highlights the need for reliable energy management in frequency regulation. Multi-type battery energy storage system (M-BESS) aggregators are promising resources, yet their heterogeneous costs, capacities, and lifetimes make conventional state-of-charge (SOC) balancing insufficient. This paper develops a coordinated SOC and state-of-health (SOH) balancing method for M-BESS energy management under frequency regulation. An aggregator profit model is first formulated to integrate energy trading benefits and frequency regulation revenues. Then, a dispatchability model is established to capture differences in unit capacity, degradation cost, and operating states, ensuring stable response to frequency regulation signals. Based on these models, a coordinated allocation framework is designed to balance SOC and SOH while improving dispatchability. Case studies with real project data show that the proposed method limits the maximum profit loss ratio to 0.95%, enhances SOH consistency, and improves dispatchability accuracy by more than 10% compared with conventional SOC-based approaches. These results confirm that the method can achieve a practical trade-off between economic benefit, battery health, and reliable participation in frequency regulation markets. Full article

This article analyses the possibility of using Li-ion batteries removed from battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as short-term energy storage devices in a near-zero energy building (nZEB) in conjunction with a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system. The technical and economic feasibility of this solution was compared to that of a standard commercial LIB (Lithium-Ion battery) BESS Battery Energy Storage System). Two generations of the same BEV model battery were tested to analyse their suitability for powering a building. The necessary changes to the setup of such a battery for building power supply purposes were analysed, as well as its suitability. As a result, analyses of profitability over the predicted life span and NPV (net present value) of SLEVBs (second-life BEV batteries) for building power were carried out. The study also conducted preliminary research on the effectiveness of such projects and their pros and cons in terms of security. The author calculates the profitability of a ready-made PV BESS with a set of SLEVBs, estimating the payback periods for such investments relative to electricity prices in Poland. The article concludes on the potential of SLEVBs to support self-consumption in nZEB buildings and its environmental impact on the European circular economy. Full article

The increasing integration of intermittent renewable energy sources necessitates effective energy storage solutions, with battery energy storage systems (BESSs) emerging as promising candidates for energy arbitrage operations. This study conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis of 29 European electricity markets to identify optimal locations for utility-scale BESS-enabled energy arbitrage ventures. Using hourly wholesale electricity price data spanning January 2015 to December 2023, we employed statistical analysis techniques, 3D surface plots, and developed a novel energy arbitrage feasibility (EAF) score-based ranking system that integrates electricity market volatility metrics with regulatory and economic variables including gross domestic product per capita, index of economic freedom, and electricity supply-origin risk (ESOR). Five investor preference scenarios were analyzed: risk-averse, ESOR-sensitive, economy-sensitive, volatility-sensitive, and equally weighted approaches. Results demonstrated that Estonia ranked highest in three scenarios, achieving the maximum absolute EAF score of 0.558197 in the volatility-sensitive scenario, while Luxembourg led in the ESOR and economy-sensitive scenarios. Estonia’s market characteristics support single daily charge–discharge cycles, whereas Luxembourg enables dual cycles, offering different operational strategies. The EAF scoring methodology provides a standardized framework for cross-country investment decision-making in energy arbitrage ventures. These findings indicate that market selection significantly impacts the BESS arbitrage profitability, with Estonia and Luxembourg representing the most favorable investment destinations. Full article

Flexible energy sources such as electric vehicles and the battery energy storage systems of intelligent distribution systems can provide system-wide auxiliary services such as frequency regulation for power systems. This paper proposes an optimal method for operating the local energy community that is based on two-stage scheduling. Firstly, the basic concepts of the local energy community and flexible service are introduced in detail. Taking LEC as the reserve unit of artificial frequency recovery, an energy information interaction model among LEC, balance service providers, and the power grid is established. Then, a two-stage scheduling framework is proposed to ensure the rationality and economy of community energy scheduling. In the first stage, day-ahead scheduling uses the energy community management center to predict the up/down flexibility capacity that LEC can provide by adjusting the BESS control parameters. In the second stage, real-time scheduling aims at maximizing community profits and scheduling LEC based on the allocation and activation of standby flexibility determined in real time. Finally, the correctness of the two-stage scheduling framework is verified through a case study. The results show that the control parameters used in the day-ahead stage can significantly affect the real-time profitability of LEC, and that LEC benefits more in the case of low BESS utilization than in the case of high BESS utilization and non-participation in frequency recovery reserve. Full article

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) rely on accurate electricity price forecasts to maximize arbitrage profits in day-ahead markets. We examined whether specific forecasting models, ranging from statistical benchmarks to machine learning methods, consistently deliver superior financial outcomes for storage operators. Using real market data from the Italian day-ahead electricity market over 2020–2024, we compared univariate singular spectrum analysis (SSA), ARIMA, SARIMA, random forests, and a 30-day simple moving average under a unified trading framework. All models were evaluated based on their ability to generate arbitrage profits. Univariate SSA clearly outperformed all alternatives, achieving on average 98% of the theoretical maximum profit while maintaining the lowest forecast error. Among the other models, simpler approaches performed surprisingly well: they achieved comparable, if not superior, profit performance to more complex, hour-specific, or computationally intensive configurations. These results were robust to plausible variations in battery parameters and retraining schedules, suggesting that univariate SSA offers a uniquely effective forecasting solution for battery arbitrage and that simplicity can often be more effective than complexity in operational revenue terms. Full article

The increasing integration of renewable energy sources necessitates efficient energy storage solutions, with large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) playing a key role in grid stabilization and time-shifting of energy. This study presents a multi-level simulation framework for optimizing BESS operation across multiple markets while incorporating degradation-aware dispatch strategies. The framework integrates a day-ahead (DA) dispatch level, an intraday (ID) dispatch level, and a high-resolution simulation level to accurately model the impact of operational strategies on state of charge and battery degradation. A case study of BESS operation in the German electricity market is conducted, where frequency containment reserve provision is combined with DA and ID trading. The simulated revenue is validated by a battery revenue index. The study also compares full equivalent cycle (FEC)-based and state-of-health-based degradation models and discusses their application to cost estimation in dispatch optimization. The results emphasize the advantage of using FEC-based degradation costs for dispatch decision-making. Future research will include price forecasting and expanded market participation strategies to further improve and stabilize the profitability of BESS in multi-market environments. Full article

Expanding the installation and use of renewable energy sources will help Europe reach its energy and climate goals. Additionally, users of small-scale photovoltaic systems will be essential to the energy transition by forming renewable energy communities (RECs). This paper offers a techno-economic analysis of the Italian REC incentive system and a suitable business model to encourage residential photovoltaic and battery installations and lower electricity costs. In this paper, we present a community model that includes a set number of prosumers, a growing number of consumers, and various configurations and management strategies for photovoltaic (PV) and battery systems. Key elements of novelty include (i) the implementation of a fully-solar REC with PV and storage under the Italian incentive scheme, (ii) the introduction a of novel centralized BESS control strategy based on firm generation that maximises energy sharing while minimising its grid impact, (iii) the economic profitability analysis of the PV and storage system for consumers and prosumers when different BESS control strategies are applied. The simulation results show that energy performance increases if a centralized battery management strategy is activated and more consumers join the community. In addition, the proposed business model shows that the best profitability is achieved when there are as many consumers as prosumers. Most importantly, the approach was extended to the extreme case of a “fully solar-powered” community, demonstrating that the REC model is viable even with the current PV and battery costs. Finally, we show that fully solar-powered communities can be easily implemented where homeowners have enough surface for PV installation and purchase a central battery through crowdfunding. Full article

Energy communities constitute the main collective form for energy consumers to participate in the current energy transition. The purpose of this research paper is to present a tool that assists energy communities to achieve fair and sustainable daily operation. In this context, the proposed algorithm (i) assesses the day-ahead operation cost (or profit) of energy communities, taking into consideration photovoltaic (PV) production, battery energy storage system (BESS), and flexible loads, as well as the potential profit from selling energy to the power system, under the net billing scheme, and (ii) compares the derived cost for each member with the cost for non-cooperative operation, as single prosumers. Taking the aforementioned costs or profits into consideration, the developed algorithm then proposes three cost-sharing options for the members, peer-to-peer (P2P), so that their participation in the community is more beneficial than individual operation. The algorithm is tested on a hypothetical energy community in Greece, highlighting the importance of the cooperation amongst the members of the community for their mutual benefit; for the simulated case of different PV shares, the cooperation can result in a 24.5% cost decrease, while having a BESS can reduce the cost by 25.0%. Full article

Despite the massive increase of renewable energy generation in Greece, large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are yet to be integrated in the Greek electricity market. This paper analyzes the profitability of BESS in Greece, focusing on the Day-Ahead Market (DAM) and the Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) market. To this end, we examine and compare the following three instances of BESS market participation with respect to the short-term uncertainty BESS participants face in terms of market prices and FCR utilization factors: (a) a theoretical perfect information instance, (b) a deterministic instance based on average historical values of the uncertain parameters, and (c) a stochastic instance based on alternative scenarios stemming from historical data. The last two instances are complemented by an out-of-sample validation representing BESS operation after uncertainty is materialized. Furthermore, for each of these three instances, we explore three cases involving participation only in the DAM, only in the FCR market, and in a combination of the DAM and FCR market, accounting for the different pricing mechanisms of these markets. The case studies employ real market and frequency data from Greece and compare the three instances and three market participation cases in terms of achieved profit and energy violation rate. Full article