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Maximizing Local PV Utilization Using Small-Scale Batteries and Flexible Thermal Loads

High PV utilization ratios in buildings, i.e. the consumption of most of the PV energy within the building premises, can reduce the energy losses in distribution networks, and mitigate overvoltages and transformer overloadings. For this reason, some countries have adopted, or are discussing, regulatory instruments to motivate local utilization of PV energy. In this paper, we investigate the potential of maximizing the PV utilization ratio using small-scale batteries and flexible thermal loads. We propose four rule-based control algorithms for batteries and heat pumps, and calculate the building energy flows and PV self-consumption ratios on an annual basis using the commercial software Polysun. Based on the results, we provide insights on the potential of thermal and battery storage for PV self-consumption maximization and indicate synergies among them. Also, we identify the battery capacities that maximize the savings over the investment lifetime for different combinations of battery capital costs and PV feed-in tariffs (FITs). The results show that maximizing PV self-consumption can be an interesting business case due to the decreasing trends in battery costs and FITs.