A real-time commercial aggregator for distributed energy resources flexibility management

With the transition to a more decentralized electricity sector, Distribution System Operators (DSOs) are facing new challenges, as well as new opportunities, deriving from the growing penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). In fact, an increasing penetration of DERs in Low Voltage (LV) grids likely pushes the system to congestion conditions more easily but also adds additional flexibility potential to the power system. Currently, the demand response solutions implemented in a significant number of countries do not consider aggregation of customers/prosumers at LV level but typically focus on fewer resources of greater individual size (i.e. industrial loads) connected to Medium and High Voltage levels. Hence the system requires a new actor to manage the resources connected at LV level in the most efficient way.