The role of SOFC-based systems for prosumer integration in the balancing market: a techno-economic analysis

This master thesis is focused on the analysis of SOFC integration in a Virtual Power Plant for grid balancing. The work includes a first description on the status of grid balancing roles with focus on Italy and Germany, followed by an analysis of possible optimized case studies where an SOFC is integrated within a supermarket with the aim of performing also grid balancing activities. Under certain techno-economic hypothesis, three power systems are compared to find the optimal configuration: stand-alone SOFC, SOFC-PV and SOFC-PV-batteries. Several simulations developed through specific models are carried out and discussed.