Mobile Energy Storage Scheduling and Operation in Active Distribution Systems

A mobile (transportable) energy storage system (MESS) can provide various services in distribution systems including load leveling, peak shaving, reactive power support, renewable energy integration, and transmission deferral. Unlike stationary energy storage units, an MESS can move between different buses by a truck to provide different local services within the distribution feeder. This paper proposes a day-ahead energy management system (EMS) for an MESS that aims to minimize the cost of the power imported from the grid. The MESS does not only shift renewable energy power to load peak-hours but also can provide localized reactive power support. Given the day-ahead predictions, the EMS decided the optimal MESS stations in the feeder and the operating power. Next, a particle swarm optimization-based algorithm is developed to tune the moving time of the MESS according to a transit delay model. The applicability of the proposed scheduling and operation algorithms is tested on a typical 41-bus radial feeder.