Optimal Selection of Photovoltaic Generation for a Community of Electricity Prosumers

Abstract

In Brazil, in the lasts five years there has been a significant growth of photovoltaic generation installed in the consumer side of me-ters, the so-called prosumers. However, most of these installations occur in an individual way, as self-consumption, with net-metering billing. The possibility of forming a community grouping several consumer units is little used. This paper analyzes the eco-nomic benefit obtained by prosumers acting individually and by prosumers grouped in a community when investing in photovolta-ic generation. A mixed integer linear programming model was used to select photovoltaic generation systems, considering the Brazilian net-metering billing, in order to minimize the annualized total cost to meet the demand of the prosumers. Tests were con-ducted for prosumers connected individually and in communities, for two tariff modalities, conventional and time of use. The results show that there is an increase in the economic benefit obtained by some of the individually connected prosumers when they install photovoltaic generation. However, when the option is to form a community the economic benefit can be 120% higher.