Energy storage scheduling in distribution grids considering wind and PV generation uncertainties

Energy storage systems (ESSs) are becoming increasingly important for mitigating challenges introduced by the integration of variable renewable energy sources, in particular wind and solar PV. The optimal operation of a distribution grid with ESS can be formulated as a dynamic optimal power flow (DOPF) problem which involves scheduling of the charging/discharging of the ESS over an extended planning horizon. Although such problems have been the subject of extensive research in recent years, these works rarely consider uncertainties in power generation and almost never explicitly consider uncertainties beyond the current planning horizon. This talk will present a methodology for accounting for uncertainties due to distributed wind and PV generation beyond the planning horizon in an AC DOPF model for distribution systems with ESS. The expected future value of energy stored at the end of the planning horizon is determined as a function of the stochastic distributed energy resource variables and is explicitly included in the objective function. Results for a case study based on a real distribution grid in Norway demonstrate the effectiveness of the operational strategy to account for generation uncertainties. This research is carried out in cooperation with Dr. Iver Bakken Sperstad at SINTEF Energy Research, Norway