Scientific Measuring and Evaluation Program for Photovoltaic Battery Systems(WMEP PV-Speicher)

Grid parity of residential photovoltaic (PV) power generation and retail electricity prices makes self-consumption of solar power increasingly interesting for private households. Residential PV Battery Systems provide the opportunity to store solar energy that is not locally consumed during the day and make it available for self-consumption in the evening, thus cutting the electricity bill. Moreover, decentralized stationary battery systems are a promising technology to deal with grid problems that can arise due to high local penetration of solar power generation. Because relatively high system costs for small stationary battery systems still pose an obstacle for a broad market launch, the German Federal Government has issued a market incentive program to stimulate the market and boost technology development of PV Battery Systems. In order to additionally gain a better understanding of the technology under realistic operating conditions, an accompanying scientific monitoring program has been established from the beginning. This paper outlines the most important terms and conditions of the market incentive program, the methodology of the monitoring program and presents first results of the current market situation of government-funded PV Battery Systems in Germany. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.