Cooperative generation of photovoltaic solar energy with adoption of microgrids in residential condominiums

Abstract

The distributed generation of photovoltaic solar energy has grown significantly in recent years and a new opportunity has emerged which is cooperative generation in condominiums. Buildings can compose a microgrid and take advantage of joint operation benefits such as: minimization with shared costs, market opportunities and better protection in scarcity situations. This configuration increases localized energy sustainability and decongests distribution and transmission systems, especially during peak demand times. This research made a case study, in a residential condominium, with white energy tariff, photovoltaic solar energy generation and energy storage in batteries. The methodology included a survey of physical data from the system and stratified the calculations for peak, intermediate and off-peak hours of energy demand. It was concluded that the adoption of the cooperative micronetwork among the tenants, to meet peak consumption, reduced the total investment by 71.2% and payback time by 36.3%, when compared to the individual system and full service to the customer demand.