French self-consumption specialist launches virtual battery for PV system owners


From pv magazine France

France-based MyLight Systems, a solutions provider for monitoring and managing solar self-consumption, has launched a new digital tool to improve the self-consumption of PV system owners.

Called MySmartBattery, the virtual battery system developed by the company claims to ensure 100% self-consumption and to maximize energy savings in prosumers' bills.

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The virtual battery, which can be used via a mobile application, is able to record how much surplus solar power is injected into the grid on very sunny days and to return it to the PV system owner at night or in winter. For this service, the user must pay an electricity subscription and a MySmartBattery monthly flat rate, where the costs, including taxes, are related to the supply of the stored kWh.

Using the MyLight systems software, prosumers can also monitor the charge and discharge status of their virtual battery via an application on their smartphone, as well as the portion of their consumption covered by their PV installation.

“Users can benefit from a real-time virtual battery, which works as a physical battery would do but with a cost that us 100 times lower,” the company stated. Beyond the cost, virtual storage may also make it possible to overcome the constraints of the physical battery: size, ecological footprint, drop in performance over time, safety, and limited capacities. 
If the production of the PV plant is not sufficient to cover all the electricity needs, MyLight Systems provides the household with green energy supplied by Swiss energy company Axpo.
The ultimate goal of the company is that 100% of its customers' electricity comes from their PV systems. This approach is defined as the opposite of that of a traditional supplier whose job is to sell as much electricity as possible from the grid.
