DERs and Energy Communities: A Harmonious Pairing

In Croatia, the legal journey towards Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) is closely intertwined with the rise of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). DERs, including small-scale renewables like solar panels and wind turbines, play a pivotal role in these community-driven energy initiatives.

The Croatian Law on Renewable Energy Sources and High-Efficient Cogeneration defines RECs and CECs as entities designed to provide environmental, economic, or social benefits to communities near renewable energy projects. This aligns seamlessly with the concept of DERs, which generate and manage energy locally.

DERs encompass decentralized power sources like solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and electric vehicles, producing clean energy close to consumption points. This decentralized approach is pivotal for creating sustainable and resilient energy ecosystems.

While legal changes aim to expand REC and CEC memberships across Croatia, challenges remain, including defining proximity, determining grid charges, involving Distribution System Operators (DSOs), and overcoming administrative hurdles. However, these legal shifts hold the potential to empower communities, facilitated by DERs and championed by RECs and CECs.

In summary, DERs and renewable energy communities, both RECs and CECs, share a symbiotic relationship. DERs often form the foundation of these communities, reshaping the energy landscape, fostering sustainability, and empowering local communities to take charge of their energy future.

Understanding Distributed Energy Resources or why the shift matters

Before we delve into the Croatian pilot, let's grasp the concept of Distributed Energy Resources. DERs encompass various small, decentralized power sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and even electric vehicles. The core idea is to generate, store, and manage energy closer to where it's consumed. This shift in energy production and consumption is paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient energy ecosystem.

I-NERGY in Croatia

I-NERGY's mission is to demonstrate with a simulation the immense potential of DERs in real-world scenarios. One such scenario unfolds in Croatia, where the project has been executing a pilot focusing on Collective Self-Consumption, Energy Sharing in Multi-Apartment Buildings, and Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading. We'll explore some highlights and lessons from this endeavor.

Croatian Context

Opportunity 1: Community Microgrids and Multi-Apartment Buildings

Croatia has embraced the concept of community microgrids. These localized energy distribution systems integrate various energy sources, such as solar and battery storage, within defined geographic areas. The surplus energy generated can be efficiently distributed within the community. This model is not only environmentally friendly but also economically attractive, as members can invest in renewable projects and utilize the produced energy for their needs.

Opportunity 2: Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading

Croatia is exploring Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading, a scenario where community members generate renewable energy that can be shared within the community. This direct energy exchange between producers and consumers bypasses traditional energy suppliers, making it both sustainable and cost-effective.

Technical Implementations and Visual Highlights

In Croatia's pilot, a sophisticated tool plays a pivotal role. This tool enables participants to analyze their energy consumption profiles, identify surplus energy, and engage in P2P energy trading. It offers insights into electricity usage for heating, cooling, household appliances, and electric vehicles, empowering participants to optimize their energy utilization. By harnessing this tool's capabilities, participants gain a profound understanding of their energy usage, allowing them to make informed decisions on the capacity of installation of RES and participation in energy communities. To make this tool's capabilities even clearer, we've included visual snapshots that showcase its innovative features in action:

Energy Distribution and Allocation Mechanism

Flexible energy refers to energy that can be easily adjusted and available for sharing. In our simulated situations, the tool considered electric vehicles (EVs), heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), as well as battery usage as adaptable loads. However, there are certain limitations on when and to what extent these loads can be shifted. For instance, if an individual who owns an EV is not present at home, they won't be able to charge their vehicle, thereby restricting the flexibility. Similarly, in the case of HVAC, if a dwelling is older and requires heating or cooling twice a day, this also reduces the potential for flexibility. Energy flexibility forecasting helps residents understand their energy needs and identify potential areas/timing for energy sharing, such as electricity-related requirements. It also aids in assessing surplus or flexible energy available for sharing. Provides data on PV generation, EV charging, heating/cooling demand, and consumption. Residents can compare profiles, calculate optimal sharing times, and match consumption with production. The services lack the ability to visually identify high demand periods to plan usage and consider community power plant supply, with changing dynamics in behaviour. This can be done with the comparison of each profile, or with estimated multiple-users' profiles.

Here are some key lessons unearthed by I-NERGY's Croatian pilot

• Transparency: Displaying data transparently for all community systems is crucial for fostering trust and collaboration.
• Quantifying Local Energy Exchange: Clear mechanisms for quantifying local energy exchange are essential, including how much energy goes into or out of the grid for different objects within a community.
• Hourly Data: Providing data on flexible energy usage by the hour enhances decision-making and planning.
• Optimization: Optimization is vital for equitable energy sharing. The challenge lies in balancing supply and demand to maximize collective energy consumption.
• Scalability: As projects scale up, it's crucial to consider scalability. Streamlining the technical infrastructure for larger applications is an ongoing concern.

Conclusion

The I-NERGY project in Croatia exemplifies the potential and complexities of Distributed Energy Resources and Energy Sharing. By harnessing community microgrids and P2P energy trading, Croatia is on the path to a more sustainable and decentralized energy future. As challenges emerge, the lessons learned pave the way for more robust and scalable DER implementations and energy sharing. The journey of I-NERGY continues, promising more innovations and insights in the realm of energy transformation.

References:

• D5.4 - I-NERGY Pilots Execution Documentation
• The Croatian Law on Renewable Energy Sources and High-Efficient Cogeneration (NN 138/2021, NN 83/2023)