Peer-to-peer (P2P) electricity trading in distribution systems of the future

Recent years distribution systems have been witnessed a rapid interconnection of distributed energy resources (DER), solar energy generation and electric vehicles (EV) in particular. To this end, residential and commercial electricity customers equipped with DERs are transforming their roles from pure electricity consumers to prosumers that can switch between electricity consumers and producers. Indeed, if properly managed, DERs of prosumers could bring significant benefits to distribution system operations. Peer-to-peer (P2P) electricity trading in distribution systems has been recently explored, in order to properly manage existing prosumers and to continually promote a deeper penetration of prosumers. This article discusses two types of P2P mechanisms, namely auction-based and bilateral contract-based P2P electricity trading mechanisms, and analyze their effectiveness in properly managing electricity trading among prosumers in distribution systems of the future.