A Modeling Framework for Equitable Deployment of Energy Storage in Disadvantaged Communities

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive analytical framework that integrates behind-the-meter energy storage with rooftop solar and realistic revenue mechanisms into equitable energy deployment models, enhancing policy analysis for disadvantaged communities.

Contribution

It extends the Justice40 optimization model to include storage and net-billing, offering a novel approximation method for storage operations that maintains computational efficiency.

Findings

Validated with a case study in Wayne County, Michigan.

Demonstrated the economic viability of behind-the-meter storage in energy insecure households.

Enhanced the accuracy of equitable energy deployment modeling.

Abstract

This paper provides an analytical framework to incorporate the deployment of behind-the-meter energy storage coupled with rooftop solar, and their associated revenue streams, in the context of equitable energy policy interventions. We propose an extension to the Justice40 optimization model by adding storage and incorporating more realistic solar compensation mechanisms, such as net-billing, which allows for temporal revenue differentiation and the economic viability of behind-the-meter energy storage devices. The extended model includes household-level PV plus storage co-deployment alongside existing interventions, such as weatherization, rooftop PV only, community solar, and community wind. From a modeling perspective, we propose a novel approximation method to represent storage operations and revenue streams without expanding the temporal dimension of model, thus maintaining its computational efficiency. The proposed model is validated using a case study in Wayne County, Michigan, involving 3,651 energy insecure households.