Optimal Sizing of Battery Energy Storage Systems for Microgrids

Balancing the energy demand in isolated micro grids is a critical issue especially in presence of intermittent energy sources. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) can be installed in such circumstances to supply the demand and support the reserve requirements of the isolated micro grid. However, due to the high installation costs of BESS, there is need for proper mechanisms to select such systems and size them optimally. Furthermore, since BESS are often installed to serve multiple applications, these should be properly modeled to coordinate their different functionalities. In this paper, a multiyear operational planning model is developed to optimally determine the BESS optimal power rating and energy capacity along with the year of installation taking into account its coordinated operation. The model includes unit commitment formulation with renewable energy (RE) and BESS constraints. Several scenarios and case studies are carried out to test the model.