Effect of residential solar and storage on centralized electricity supply systems

Abstract

Residential solar photovoltaic systems combined with affordable battery storage are becoming increasingly likely to drive a consumer-led, low-emission evolution of modern electricity supply systems. In the past decade, a multi-billion-dollar boom in solar photovoltaic development across the globe has disrupted the way in which centralized electricity systems operate. At the same time, solar photovoltaic power has begun to make a material contribution to reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Viable electricity storage solutions are now on the cusp of a rapidly declining price trajectory. When coupled with solar photovoltaic systems, battery storage could become one of the most disruptive influences to impact the electricity sector in decades, yet governments and the broader power sector are poorly prepared. In this Perspective, we examine emerging trends and proffer a systems framework to analyse the disruptive influence of residential solar photovoltaic and storage systems on existing centralized electricity supply systems.