An interval-based bi-level day-ahead scheduling strategy for active distribution networks in the presence of energy communities

The decarbonization of the electricity sector calls for new operational schemes and businesses. In this context, traditional consumers have evolved towards prosumers, enabling the active participation of domestic installations in the system operation. A set of prosumers can be organized into energy communities to unlock different economic and energy benefits. This paper develops a bi-level scheduling strategy for robust optimal operation of active distribution networks in the presence of energy communities. The new proposal deals with energy management in communities at the lower level while managing distributed assets at the upper level. The uncertainties in demand, renewable generation, and energy prices are modelled using interval notation, which allows to adopt pessimistic or optimistic strategies. In addition, a novel Stackelberg-bisection sub-module is advocated to determine the distribution system operator profit, which considers collective welfare. The developed Mixed-Integer-Linear programming framework is tested in the IEEE 33-bus network incorporating energy communities, passive consumers, and distributed assets. The results obtained serve to validate the new methodology as well as analyse different results. For example, it is observed that the adopted strategy directly impacts the monetary balance, thus varying the incomes by up to 28 % depending on the robustness level. The proposed Stackelberg-based sub-module is also analysed, indicating that the expected profit may vary by up to 3 % depending on the strategy adopted and the level of robustness assumed.& COPY; 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.