Carbon-Aware Planning of Distributed Energy Resources Considering Coordination with Water Desalination

This paper presents a comprehensive planning model that finds the optimal sizing and location of distributed energy resources (DERs) to meet both the electrical load and the energy demands of a reverse osmosis water desalination system (RO-WDS). A coordination framework is also developed between the distribution system operator (DSO) and the water desalination system operator (WDSO). This framework allows the DSO to request the WDSO to adjust its load during peak hours, and the DSO shall compensate the WDSO for these adjustments. Furthermore, a cap-and-trade carbon system is incorporated, enabling the DSO to buy or sell carbon credits based on actual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Thus, the proposed model is developed to maximize the DSO's long-term profits, address the mutual benefits of the coordination framework, and reduce GHG emissions. The results show that the total profits in the base case are $13.1 million. Excluding the carbon trading system reduces profits by 36.0% and increases GHG emissions by 26.69% compared to the base case. Furthermore, the coordination framework helps increase the DSO's profits by 2.29% and reduce the total costs of the WDSO by 6.09%.