A bottom-up optimization model for solar organic Rankine cycle in the context of transactive energy trading

Solar Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) based power production plants utilize solar irradiation for thermal power generation. Given the significant compatibility between the operating temperatures of solar irradiation-based technologies and the temperature needs of the cycle, they can be a promising renewable technology. Moreover, their higher performance compared to steam Rankine cycles in small-size applications makes them interesting within the smart grid context and microgrid communities. In this study, we inspect the impact that this technology can have on the peer-to-peer trading application in renewable-based community microgrids. Here the consumer becomes a prosumer (functioning both as energy producer and consumer), and engages actively in virtual trading with other prosumers at the distribution system level. Specifically, we concentrate on a microgrid where the solar ORC is combined with a storage system, to fulfill the final consumer's demand. In fact, the combination of these plants with storage systems is fundamental to increasing their predictability and competitiveness with conventional plants, but it is quite challenging from a management perspective. Thus, a methodology based on operations research techniques has been developed to use this system at its optimal point. Moreover, we investigate how different technological parameters of the solar ORC may affect the final solution. Finally, the value of the solar ORC in the transactive energy trading context is studied under different configurations and scenarios. The results highlight an overall gain in the implementation of a predictable and manageable system as the one presented in this paper for a P2P transactive energy trading context, on average 16% in terms of operational costs.