An Optimization Model for Photovoltaic and Storage Systems in Residential Buildings

Sammanfattning

Recent global events underline the need for accessible energy prices to support economic growth. In the residential sector, the recent fluctuations in prices have highlighted the necessity of distributed-generation (DG) systems, which could smooth the energy cost. However, the use of DG, in particular photovoltaic (PV), has an inherent variability throughout the day and across seasons. While energy storage systems can help to reduce these fluctuations, they come with high costs and limited capacity. This research uses linear programming (LP) methods to optimize the sizing and operation of a PV system with storage in order to protect homeowners from price fluctuations and to reduce reliance on centralized grids. The results of this study indicate that the installation of a PV system of adequate size can provide cost benefits to households and significantly reduce CO2 emissions. In most cases, the inclusion of storage with PV systems is still expensive and only cost effective when the storage size is kept small because high storage costs tend to outweigh the benefits. The optimization process, conducted using LP, demonstrated that during periods of low energy prices, PV systems alone are more economical, while the addition of storage becomes more viable with higher energy prices.