Storing Electric Energy Generated by a Photovoltaic Installation to Increase Profit from Its Sale—Case Study in Poland

Abstract

Battery systems enable the sustainable use of energy from renewable energy installations that are characterized by variable time availability. The present study investigated the benefits of implementing an electrical energy storage system to a photovoltaic (PV) installation in the Polish climatic conditions. The impact of such a system on increasing profits from energy sales was verified. The use of storage allows for shifting the process of feeding energy into the grid to later hours when it is more expensive. The production volume and timing of energy generation were considered using the example of a 5 kWp research installation located in the Laboratory of Renewable Energy. The yields and energy prices were analyzed on an hourly basis for the year 2023. The considered system is additionally equipped with a battery with a capacity of 15 kWh. Analyses have shown that this system covers 55.6% of days in a year where the entire daily production from the PV installation can be stored. Additionally, the feasibility of using different energy storage capacities to shift the sale of the maximum energy volume was examined. Also the payback period of investments was considered for four scenarios (from the most expensive devices to the cheapest ones with subsidies). Prices were compared with profits resulting from the use of storage systems of a given capacity, as well as with the lengths of warranties covering the devices.