Technical and economic assessment of PV-coupled energy storage systems: A case study from Italy, based on field-data

Abstract

Significant levels of low-carbon generation from renewables will radically modify the power quality of the network, causing contingencies and increasing the complexity of demand-generation balancing due to variable and relatively unpredictable power injections. Energy storage systems (ESSs) could support the integration of such amount of renewable energy limiting the negative impact on the network and boosting photovoltaic (PV) self-consumption, providing benefits also for the prosumers. For this purpose, coupled PV-ESS residential storage systems were developed in six European Mediterranean countries, through the EU StoRES project. In Sardinia (Italy), 13 pilots have been selected for the implementation of ESS, which consists of typical residential premises with existing rooftop PV systems under the net-metering scheme. The aim of this study is to provide the technical and economic assessment of the coupled PV-ESS systems, based on real data measured within the StoRES project monitoring phase (1 year). The analysis is supported by well-established indicators, employed to quantify the variation of the prosumer's electrical behaviour due to the integration of the electrical storage. Other outputs related to roundtrip efficiency shed light on battery real field operation.