Profitability of PV sharing in energy communities: Use cases for different settlement patterns

Many countries are changing their legislation to enable photovoltaic (PV) sharing beyond building boundaries. This work aims to investigate the profitability and optimal installation capacities of PV systems for energy communities (ECs) in comparison to individual buildings. To gain a wide spectrum of results, four characteristic settlement patterns with different building types are defined, ranging from urban to suburban and historical to rural areas. Analytically, a mixed-integer linear optimisation model is developed to maximise the net present value over a time horizon of 20 years. The results show that the profitability of implementing optimally-sized PV systems increases when forming ECs compared to the situation of considering buildings individually. The more different the load profiles, the more synergy effects, and the higher the cost saving potential. Consequently, a sensitivity analysis shows that taking into account large customers can increase the profitability of PV installation for the community significantly because large roof/facade areas are provided for optimal PV installation. In addition to a broad participant portfolio, a change in the technology set-up can have a positive influence. Battery- and hot water storage which complement PV systems and heat pumps can contribute to saving energy costs, if only marginally. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.