Improving the user experience for battery owners providing ancillary services: A human centered design process of an interface for residen tial battery owners connected to a virtual power plant making a sustainable choice more attractive

Abstract

To achieve a more sustainable society, the energy grid will have to transition from non-renewable energy sources to renewable ones. This transition includes several challenges. Renewable energy sources (RES) such as wind and solar power are to a large extent affected by weather. This causes intermittence in energy production. With this intermittence the challenge of keeping the power grid stable, resilient and of high quality becomes even more challenging. One solution to the challenge is controlling energy sources jointly through a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). The energy sources can act as one single power plant even if they are geographically separated. These VPPs can help to stabilize the power grid to allow for a larger share of RES than today. There is possibility for home owners to contribute to a more sustainable power grid by enrolling their residential batteries in a VPP to perform ancillary services, while also gaining revenue. The demand for ancillary services are steadily increasing and the Swedish Transmission Systems Operator (TSO), Svenska Kraftnät, is increasing their budget for buying ancillary services each year. This thesis develops an interface for users enrolled in a VPP. The interface is intended for a mobile phone and complements the current web based interface. The aim is that the customer experience of being enrolled in a VPP will become more attractive with the new interface. The interface monitors the battery as part of a VPP as well as solar electricity production, energy usage and the economy of the system. By making the experience of being a member of a VPP more attractive, this thesis indirectly contributes to a more sustainable society.