When installing a storage system to accumulate the energy produced by the photovoltaic plant, the withdrawal from the electricity grid is limited to the user needs. The user does not have to worry about particular adjustments or special attentions: the management is fully automated and it is entrusted to the storage control system.
Fully automated management
The battery recharges only when it “feels” that there is excess energy compared to consumption, and it does not withdraw energy from the grid.
The advantages that a storage system offers are:
1] greater autonomy from the electric grid and increase in the power available to users; some products allow to use the energy stored even in case of blackout, although they do not perform the UPS function.
2] increase in the self-consumption of the energy produced from the photovoltaic plant that goes from values of 20-30% to 70-80%, depending from the storage system and to the customers habits.
3] reduction of the electricity bill and protection from the future energy price increases.
4] innovation: modern and reliable technologies that use lithium-ion batteries are now available in the market. This type of battery does not have the “memory effect” and can be charged and discharged, even partially, many times per day, with more than 10 years expected life.
5] tax deduction and other incentives: the application of an electric storage system to a photovoltaic plant allows to benefit of the 50% tax deduction.
Regional calls for incentives for storage systems
Also, in some Italian Regions as in Lombardia, some storage systems calls for incentives have been activated with non-refundable contributions.
The importance of the storage system capacity sizing
The sizing of a storage system has to take into consideration the user consumptions. On average, residential storage systems capacity ranges from 2 to 10 kWh.
The storage system guide to find the best solution
The market offers many solutions and products that are often complementary for a potential customer but frequently, for his installer it is not easy to extricate itself.
VP Solar has created a powerful tool, the “Storage Map” that carefully catalogs the different products and presents all the possible pairing and configurations.
