How do photovoltaics and a battery work together?
The PV system first covers the immediate consumption. A suitable part of the surplus is stored in the battery. When generation falls or demand rises, the battery can supply the stored energy.
However, not every surplus is worth storing. What matters is its value now and later, storage losses, use of the battery's service life and the other needs of the site.
New PV system: let's design the whole system together.
For a new project, we can jointly assess consumption, the size of the PV system, the power and capacity of the battery and the control method.
The outcome does not have to be the largest possible PV system or the largest storage. We look for the combination that makes technical and economic sense for the specific company.
Existing PV system: let's start with what we already know.
For a system already in operation, we use the generation and consumption history. We look at direct use of electricity, how surpluses arise and the conditions for feeding them into the grid.
Weekends and seasonality also matter. A manufacturing plant may use energy directly for most of the working week but create surpluses at the weekend. A battery has limited capacity, so storing the entire weekend generation cannot be taken for granted.
More than evening consumption
Depending on the design, storage can also help with demand peaks, vehicle charging or backup. However, the individual functions can compete with each other.
EMS – Energy Management System coordinates generation, consumption and battery status according to the project's priorities. That is why we assess the economics over a longer period, not on the basis of a single sunny day.