Optimal Scheduling of Controllable Resources in Energy Communities: An Overview of the Optimization Approaches

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In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of energy communities. This new definition refers to a community sharing energy resources of different types to meet its needs and reduce the associated costs. Optimization is one of the most widely used techniques for scheduling the operation of an energy community. In this study, we extensively reviewed the mathematical models used depending on the objectives and constraints considered. The models were also classified according to whether they address uncertainty and the inclusion of flexibility constraints. The main contribution of this study is the analysis of the most recent research on the mathematical formulation of optimization models for optimal scheduling of resources in energy communities. The results show that the most commonly used objectives are profit maximization and cost minimization. Additionally, in almost all cases, photovoltaic generation is one of the main energy sources. Electricity prices, renewable generation, and energy demand are sources of uncertainty that have been modeled using stochastic and robust optimization. Flexibility services using demand response are often modeled using interruptible loads and shiftable loads. There is still considerable room for further research on the distribution of benefits among the participants of the energy community and the provision of flexibility services to the electricity grid.