Significance of storage on solar photovoltaic system : a residential load case study in Australia

Energy storage is an essential part in effective utilization of Renewable Energy (RE). Most RE sources cannot provide constant energy supply and introduce a potential unbalance in generation and demand, especially in off-peak periods when RE generates more energy and in peak period when load demand rises too high. Storage allows intermittent sources like solar Photovoltaic (PV) to address timely load demand and adds flexibility in load management. This paper analyses the significance of storage for residential load considering solar PV as RE generator. The significance of storage was evaluated in off-grid or stand alone and grid connected configurations. Moreover it outlined the significance of storage in terms of environment and economics by comparing the Renewable Fraction (RF), Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission, Cost of Energy (COE) and Net Present Cost (NPC). Investigation showed that storage has positive influences on both (off-grid and grid connected) configurations by improving PV utilization. It was found that in grid connected configuration storage reduced 46.47% of GHG emission, reduced COE, NPC and improved RF compared to the system without storage.