Optimal assignment of off-peak hours to lower curtailments in the distribution network

We consider a price signal with two settings: off-peak tariff and on-peak tariff. Some loads are connected to specific electricity meters which allow the consumption of power only in off-peak periods. Historically, off-peak periods were located during the night and on-peak periods during the day. Changing the assignment of off-peak periods is an easy method for distribution system operators to access to the flexibility of small consumers. This solution can be implemented quickly as the infrastructure needed already exists in some countries. We propose a mixed-integer linear model to assign optimally the off-peak hours so as to minimize a societal cost. This cost gathers together the cost of electricity, the financial losses due to energy curtailments of photovoltaic installations and the loads´ wellbeing. Our model considers automatic tripping of inverters and constraints of the electrical distribution networks. Simulation results show that the new disposition of off-peak hours could reduce significantly the photovoltaic energy curtailed in the summer.