Optimising Solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems Using Yearly Interval Power Data

Renewable sources of power generation can be cheaper than fossil-based power generation when engineered correctly. Existing solar/battery energy storage systems (BESS) have established sizing practices that obtain data from; peak demand records provided by energy retail companies, software modelling that applies proven renewable asset generation profiles, and average base load power usage recorded from energy management systems. Rarely is asset control factored into the sizing of a renewables system, and dynamic power shifting of asset loads is not practiced nor incorporated into existing battery control systems. This exposes systems to open loop inefficiencies which can degrade lithium and lead-acid based batteries exponentially. To demonstrate what is required to optimise the sizing of solar/BESS installations, this paper presents a numerical model that factors solar and power grid importation using BESS, to reduce grid power charges. The results show that sizing of solar and/or BESS must simulate yearly power interval data impacts from solar generation and battery discharging/charging to optimise the size and cost of a system.