Energy storage. The technological solution to use the energy produced when you really need it.
Energy storage is the missing link in green energy and renewables plans, says the Economist. In the design of an efficient photovoltaic system, it can no longer be missing. The benefits are many, for everyone.
The amount of renewable energy produced should not be wasted. It is essential to store it so that it can be used when it is needed, whether in the home or business.
What is energy storage?
Storing energy means, literally, taking it when it is there to make it available when it is really needed; personalized self-consumption then, based on the actual needs of the household or business. Moreover, energy is never wasted because it can be fed back into the grid and remunerated by the GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici).
We know that renewable energies are different: solar, wind, geothermal, from biomass, hydro, marine. They are clean energies, with minimal environmental impact compared to nonrenewable energies (fossil fuels and nuclear) and are destined not to run out because they regenerate over time.
But sun, wind, air and water are intermittent. Sometimes they are there, sometimes they are not. Sometimes there is too much, sometimes too little.
For example, the hours of daylight in spring and summer are very different from those in winter. Most solar energy is produced during the day but used in the evening (when you are usually home). Or, in the case of businesses, the consumption of the energy produced may change throughout the day. A storage system stores the energy produced by the solar panels and makes it available to be used when you need it most. And in the event of a blackout, by choosing the most advanced systems, inconvenience is all but eliminated.
Characteristics of solar batteries.
Storing energy is possible today. Solar batteries are the ideal complement to photovoltaic systems because they provide
- safety,
- savings and cost monitoring,
- energy efficiency,
- concern for the environment,
- circularity.
A 4.15 kWp photovoltaic system, when combined with a 5.8 kWh battery and intelligent load management, including through smart home automation systems, yields the same savings in utility bills as a larger, more expensive system. In numbers:
Annual household consumption 5,000 kWh/year
Estimated energy produced by the system 5,852 kWh/year
Simultaneity factor consumption/production 50%
Expected amount of self-consumed energy produced 2,926 kWh/year
Amount of stored energy consumed 1,524 kWh/year
ANNUAL BILL SAVINGS 85%
The IRENA report on electricity storage
Already in the 2017 Renewable Energy Statistics report, the International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA projected that by 2030, against a potential doubling of renewable energy deployment, electricity storage would need to increase from 4.67TWh in 2017 to at least 11.89TWh and 15.72TWh in 2030, demonstrating that storage was already considered central to the renewable energy issue.
