Impact of distributed battery energy storage controlled by optimization-based home energy management systems implementing various objective functions on the voltage profiles in the low-voltage network with a high saturation of prosumer photovoltaic micro-installations

Prosumer photovoltaic (PV) micro-installations change the operating conditions of low-voltage (LV) networks. When these networks are highly saturated with PV sources, some disruptions in their operation may occur periodically. In particular, long-term overvoltages are a frequent phenomenon, the most noticeable effect of which is the shutdown of PV sources. The simulation results showed that long-term overvoltages could affect more than a third of the customers supplied from a real LV rural network and last up to 383 h per year. As a result, the yearly generation of the PV source can be reduced by up to 25.6%. The method of overvoltages mitigation analyzed in this article consists in changing the unfavorable power balance using distributed battery energy storage systems (BESSs). However, the effectiveness of this voltage control method depends on the adopted control strategy for the BESSs. In this article, distributed BESSs are assumed to be controlled by individual, optimization-based home energy management systems (HEMSs). Using a model of a real LV rural network, the impact of BESSs operating according to the schedules resulting from two objective functions of HEMSs (i.e., energy cost minimization and maximization of prosumer financial neutrality) are compared. Better results are achieved when BESSs are operated according to profiles that maximize the financial neutrality of prosumers. In this case, the maximum duration of long-term overvoltages is reduced from 383 to 231 h per year, compared with 251 h when the BESSs are controlled in a way that minimizes energy costs, while the yearly reduction in PV generation is 16.1% and 17.9%, respectively. • Photovoltaic sources change the operating conditions of the low-voltage network. • Excessive photovoltaic generation causes long-term overvoltages. • Distributed energy storage systems can be used to mitigate overvoltages. • The influence of energy storage on the voltage depends on the control method used. • By maximizing financial neutrality, a lower risk of overvoltages is achieved.