On the profitability of PV sharing in residential energy communities

Tthis thesis aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the profitability of photovoltaic (PV) electricity sharing in residential energy communities of different scales. System Analysis is used as the approach to modelling energy communities and a mixed-integer linear optimisation model is developed with the objective of maximising the energy community's net present value over a time horizon of 20 years. Thereby,the cost-optimal PV installation capacities are determined. The results demonstrate that PV electricity sharing can in general be considered economically viable for energy community participants, even under circumstances which clearly lead to a reduction in financial benefits, such as third-party financing.