Photovoltaic energy storage on-site consumption

To achieve sustainability goals while meeting the increasing electricity demands of electrification, organizations are pairing on-site solar PV generation with on-site energy storage. These systems, which are considered as “behind-the-meter” (BTM) systems, allow facilities to maximize the benefits of on-site renewable generation.

As energy storage systems are typically not installed with residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, any “excess” solar energy exceeding the house load remains unharvested or is exported to the grid. This paper introduces an approach towards a system design for improved PV self-consumption and self-sufficiency.

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Configuring energy storage devices can effectively improve the on-site consumption rate of new energy such as wind power and photovoltaic, and alleviate the planning and construction pressure of external power grids on grid-connected operation of new energy.

If a utility restricts the exports from a facility to the grid, the use of on-site storage alongside solar PV can provide a solution to avoid costly infrastructure upgrades, thus increasing the feasibility of larger on-site PV installations.

This article studies the allocation of energy storage capacity considering electricity prices and on-site consumption of new energy in wind and solar energy storage systems. A nested two-layer optimization model is constructed, and the following conclusions are drawn:

For the scenario represented in the graph, an on-site solar PV system allows the facility to reduce the amount of electricity drawn from the grid during the middle of the day. Increasing the amount of solar PV production on-site can provide additional cost and emission reductions and resiliency benefits for facilities.