Optimal Sizing of Community Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage Systems with Second-Life Batteries in Peer-to-Peer Energy Communities

This article presents a mixed-integer second-order cone programming model to determine the optimal sizing of a community-shared photovoltaic and battery energy storage system (PV-BESS) within a peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading framework. The model accounts for heterogeneous users who may already own individual PV or PV-BESS systems and aims to enhance the overall energy autonomy of the energy community. A key feature of the model is the explicit comparison between first-life (FL) and second-life (SL) battery technologies, incorporating their respective degradation dynamics into investment and operational decisions, and the technical feasibility by considering constraints of a low-voltage distribution network. The proposed formulation is tested on the reduced equivalent of the IEEE European low-voltage network. Results show that the most influential factors in the adoption of a shared BESS are: (i) the market cost of battery technologies, (ii) electricity tariffs, particularly purchase prices, and (iii) the degradation characteristics of the chosen technology. Secondary factors, such as DER penetration among users and the community’s peak demand, have a lesser impact. The analysis further suggests that SL batteries could become a cost-effective alternative to FL technologies if their degradation performance improves or their capital cost is significantly reduced.