Distributed Resources Remuneration on a Medium Voltage Network with Uncertainty and Seasonal Impacts

The current landscape of the electric world is shifting toward a cleaner and more sustainable pattern. While this is a known fact, there is still very little consideration for how distributed generators (DG) should be compensated when studying the network, whether through planning or operation/reconfiguration. The DG remuneration needs to be considered in modern network studies, especially when there is a high percentage of renewable energy penetration. Another major factor that should be given an adequate amount of importance is the introduction of uncertainty to the data used along the process. Thus, this study applies uncertainty to wind and solar generation and load, with its’ degree varying according to the season and daily periods. This study is applied to a 180-bus network in the Leiria district, Portugal, with 42 Wind farms, 33 Photovoltaic (PV) parks, as well as three biomass generators, and a substation belonging to the Distribution System Operator (DSO). The network also has two Energy Storage Systems (ESS) already in place owned by an outside party, but the model allows for the installation of more from the DSO. This study is done from the point of view of the DSO, aiming to minimize the investments and expenditures on their part while fairly remunerating the participants using a two-stage stochastic model. There are 16 main scenarios in this model, the combinations of the four seasons and daily periods. The results are promising with a Payback of 3,02 years.