Integrating the flexibility of the average Serbian consumer as a virtual storage option into the planning of energy systems

With the integration of more variable renewable energy, the need for storage is growing. Rather than utility scale storage, smart grid technology (not restricted, but mainly involving bidirectional communication between the supply and demand side and dynamic pricing) enables flexible consumption to be a virtual storage alternative for moderation of the production of variable renewable energy sources on the micro grid level. Study, motivated with energy loss allocation, electric demand and the legal framework that is characteristic for the average Serbian household, was performed using the HOMER software tool. The decision to shift or build deferrable load rather than sell on site generated energy from variable renewable energy sources to the grid was based on the consumer's net present cost minimization. Based on decreasing the grid sales hours of the micro grid system to the transmission grid from 3, 498 to 2, 009, it was shown that the demand response could be included in long-term planning of the virtual storage option. Demand responsive actions that could be interpreted as storage investment costs were quantified to 12 €/year in this article.