Optimal Sizing Capacities of Solar Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage Systems for Grid-Connected Commercial Buildings in Malaysia

This article proposes a technique for determining the optimal capacities of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BES) systems for grid-connected commercial buildings in Malaysia. The method utilizes real-time data on load patterns, solar irradiance, ambient temperature, and Malaysian power rates to establish the lowest life cycle cost (LCC) of the PV and BES systems over a 20-year lifespan. The proposed system configuration includes rule-based energy management with peak shaving. The study also considers limitations on the maximum export power of Malaysian commercial buildings for optimization. The proposed system uses the price of electricity as an index, and a case study demonstrates that it reduced the cost of electricity by 34.25% for the commercial building case with the C1 tariff. Additionally, annual energy consumption and peak demand are reduced by 20.53% and 15.25%, respectively, while selling 10,128.6274 kWh of electricity back to the grid. Further, the optimal sizing capacities of PV and BES for Malaysian commercial buildings are presented and evaluated which provides a general demonstration for customers. This article is relevant to the field of electrical engineering and offers practical solutions for optimizing solar PV and BES systems in grid-connected commercial buildings, reducing the cost of electricity, and minimizing energy consumption.