Optimal sizing and control of energy storage systems for the electricity markets participation of intelligent photovoltaic power plants

The present PhD deals with the integration of intelligent photovoltaic (IPV) power plants in the electricity markets in an environment subject to free competition. The IPV power plants are those that include energy storage systems to reduce the variability and to provide the entire group a controllability increase. These technical objectives are obtained thanks to the bidirectional exchanging and storing capability that the storage system contributes to, in this case, battery energy storage system (BESS). In order to obtain the maximum profitability of the BESS, the sizing must be optimized together with the control strategy that the BESS will be operated with. In the present PhD, once the most performing battery energy storage technology has been selected, the lithium-ion technology, an innovative IPV power plant electricity market participation process is proposed which optimizes both the sizing and the energy management strategy in the same optimization step. This optimization process together with the electricity market participation has been applied in a real case study, confirming that this procedure permits to maximize the economic profitability of this type of generation.