Development possibilities of distribution network service charges of low-voltage customers - apartment houses as energy communities

This paper discusses the electricity distribution pricing for energy communities (ECs) in the form of apartment buildings in the context of the Finnish electricity market environment. The goal is to investigate if practical reasons can be identified for the distribution system operators (DSOs) to develop their pricing, and if the present electricity distribution network tariffs used for larger customers could be used also for the ECs. The paper includes a case study, in which real hourly energy readings of 6 apartment houses and the electricity distribution network tariffs of 9 Finnish DSOs are used to investigate the economic impacts of two different billing models. The results indicate that other tariff options should be considered and investigated for the ECs in the future to avoid any dramatic changes in the DSO turnovers while simultaneously ensuring that the ECs participate in the cost bearing of the system appropriately.