A Study on Applicability of Distributed Energy Generation, Storage and Consumption within Small Scale Facilities

• Main Authors: Jesús Rodríguez-Molina, José-Fernán Martínez, Pedro Castillejo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2016-09-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: distributed generation; distributed energy resources; business model; Smart Grid
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/9/745

Distributed generation and storage of energy, conceived as one of the prominent applications of the Smart Grid, has become one of the most popular ways for generation and usage of electricity. Not only does it offer environmental advantages and a more decentralized way to produce energy, but it also enables former consumers to become producers (thus turning them into prosumers). Alternatively, regular power production and consumption is still widely used in most of the world. Unfortunately, accurate business models representations and descriptive use cases for small scale facilitates, either involved in distributed energy or not, have not been provided in a descriptive enough manner. What is more, the possibilities that electricity trade and its storage and consumption activities offer for small users to obtain profits are yet to be addressed and offered to the research community in a thorough manner, so that small consumers will use them to their advantage. This paper puts forward a study on four different business models for small scale facilities and offers an economical study on how they can be deployed as a way to offer profitability for end users and new companies, while at the same time showing the required technological background to have them implemented.