Photovoltaic With Storage 2024: Benefits and Costs

Photovoltaic System with Storage Represents an important step forward in the direction of Energy independence for families and buildings. In fact, thanks to this new technology made of Solar Panels with Storage,

it will be possible to increase the energy efficiency of new systems and produce a greater quantity of energy while at the same time reducing the waste that can occur within a system. Photovoltaic System with Storage capture and Stores Solar Energy to allow optimized use and greater energy autonomy.

What Exactly is a Storage System?

Storage System for Photovoltaic System is a set of accumulators or batteries that store the energy produced by Photovoltaic Panels and which is not immediately consumed. This mechanism allows you to accumulate energy in excess of consumption produced during the day and use it in the evening/night without having to request it from the electricity grid. The solar system with storage, therefore, allows the energy to be used at a different time compared to when it was produced.

Photovoltaic System with Energy Storage, According to Government Sector Employment (GSE) rules, can be installed on: incentivized photovoltaic systems (Energy Account), those that request the recognition of incentives, and those that access on-site metering. The only rule in this regard is related to the type of system: only Storage Systems that comply with the CEI 0-21 regulation are allowed, the set of rules that govern the connection of users to the low voltage networks of energy distribution companies electric. The regulation does not include in its scope of application stand-alone and non-grid-connected systems; this is because the GSE is the counterparty to the purchase or incentive contracts only for the plants connected to the national electricity circuit, while the stand-alone plants are completely independent of the electricity distribution network.

There are Two Accumulation Methods on Market that allow Storage of Photovoltaic Energy:

Storage of Photovoltaic Energy
Storage of Photovoltaic Energy

Inverter with integrated Battery

Inside Single box is placed Photovoltaic Inverter, Device that allows the transformation of direct current to alternating current, and an integrated lithium battery: this means that this system is compact and takes up little space.

Modular System with External Batteries: 

Photovoltaic Energy Storage System is located outside and is connected to the solar panels; It allows you to choose between different technologies and storage methods, which is why it offers greater flexibility to the customer.

How Does Photovoltaic System Work?

Solar Energy Generation System is normally composed of a series of silicon panels that are capable of transforming a part of the solar radiation into electricity. The panels generate direct electric current which needs to be transformed into alternating current by an element called an inverter. Only at this point can it be used by the majority of homes and industrial plants in our country.

There is Meter in the system that measures the energy produced. When the panels are in operation, the energy produced has two paths: that of self-consumption (Iinstantaneous Consumption of Energy Produced) or that of feeding it into the grid. When there are elements or appliances running in the home/office, the energy produced is consumed; when there is no need for energy in the building, it is fed into the grid. If the panels are not producing (for example at night), the utilities in the building receive energy from the grid. Finally, a meter measures all the energy that is injected into the network and all that is absorbed by the network.

To understand even better how this type of system works, it is good to know that photovoltaic storage has a dynamic operation; this means that in the morning, the energy produced is consumed directly in the house and the excess energy is instead stored by the solar energy accumulator; in the afternoon, excess electricity is sold into the electricity grid; in the evening it is used inside the house to power household appliances; during the night, if the energy is not sufficient, the system recovers it from the electricity grid.

Where Should the Storage Systems be Placed?

The GSE allows Installation of Batteries to store the energy produced by its system, provided that they are installed adopting one of the following 3 Permitted Configurations:

  • One-Way Production Side.
  • Bidirectional Production Side.
  • Bidirectional Post-Production.
  • Read more: Energy Requalification

The Production side options require batteries to be installed between Photovoltaic System and inverter, before the production meter. The post-production mode, however, requires the accumulators to be installed after the inverter. The storage is unidirectional when the batteries are charged only by the photovoltaic system, it is bidirectional if they can also be recharged from the grid.

Furthermore, being fairly delicate system, it is best not to place the components outside: in fact, climatic factors and the presence of insects could damage the accumulation mechanism.

When is it Best to Install Storage System on Your System?

Convenience assessment must be made, case by case, also on basis of cost of storage, necessary changes to system, and possible need to replace inverter with more “Intelligent” one. Simple Photovoltaic System allows you to save if and only if energy produced is used immediately. This, however, means running most appliances during day.

Unfortunately, this situation is not always easy to achieve. If evening consumption, which can be deduced from an in-depth reading of meter, is higher than daily one, it is time to evaluate changes to one’s consumption styles or to one’s photovoltaic system, by inserting accumulations which, recharging during day, they save on electricity withdrawals from grid in evening.

As Regards Cost, prices of Photovoltaic System with Storage can vary based on numerous factors such as materials used for panels, and the need to carry out some preventive work in order to then proceed with installation. Recently, installation of photovoltaic system has price of around 6,000 euros, although with tax deductions the price can drop by as much as 50%.

For addition of storage system, additional cost varies between 7,000 and 10,000 euros, but investment can cover period of time ranging from 4 to 8 years. In fact, significant advantage that photovoltaic system with storage offers is that it allows double savings compared to that guaranteed by simple photovoltaic systems. Indeed, by paying attention to your consumption and habits and trying to use energy, especially during the day, you can even eliminate energy costs on your bill.