Towards inclusive community-based energy markets: A multiagent framework

Local energy trading has the potential to foster the deployment of novel business models especially valuable in citizen-centered self-sufficiency-driven collective energy systems. In this setting, special attention should be paid to vulnerable consumers, who may be neglected in the energy transition due to their limited financial capacity to purchase energy products and services as well as the low energy literacy impairing sound consumption decisions. This paper presents a community-based electricity exchange model designed to prioritize the inclusion of vulnerable consumers. A multiagent framework embedded with metaheuristics is proposed to model a community of prosumagers and vulnerable consumers. Heterogeneity between agents is considered by exploiting different consumption behaviors regarding load utilization, thermal comfort requirements and sensitivity to cost. A supervisor entity is also included to manage and facilitate electricity procurement between the local energy community participants while interfacing with retailers. Several scenarios are exploited to examine the performance of the proposed model for different shares of sellers and buyers and the results are evaluated through performance indicators. Results reveal that local electricity trading, in addition to economic benefits for all participants, also contribute to enhance the community's self-sufficiency. Additionally, participants benefit differently from local electricity trading: while buying-oriented ones benefit from the larger presence of profit-driven members, selling-oriented participants achieve better results in scenarios with higher shares of buyers. These results unveil relevant clues for the design of frameworks enhancing the inclusion of vulnerable consumers in the energy transition.