This document discusses how energy behaviors may change with the adoption of solar panels and battery storage in homes and communities. It presents the results of simulations of individual off-grid homes, grid-lite homes with varying energy equipment configurations, and an energy sharing community. The simulations show improved financial returns with battery storage when prices decrease by 2025. Load shifting and community energy sharing can significantly reduce grid reliance. The role of the grid may evolve to provide generation, storage and links between communities, while dwellers need only minimally manage energy through settings like load scheduling.
Energy Behaviours in Smart Home Communities with Solar and Storage
1. Energy Behaviour in a Community of Smart Homes
Joris Suppers and Mark Apperley
2. Who am I?
• Joris Suppers
• PhD Student at the University of Waikato
• A Smart Network of Household Electricity Management Systems
• Energy Informatics Group
• ei.cms.waikato.ac.nz
3. This Paper
• How will the energy behaviours involved in a community of
households change with the uptake of solar panels and energy
storage systems?
17. PV and Storage ROI
Average yearly ROI (over 25 years)
PV only PV and storage
System
(kW)
Worst
(%)
Average
(%)
Best
(%)
Worst
(%)
Average
(%)
Best
(%)
Present(2016)
2 -0.4 3.4 5.4 -2.5 -2.1 -2
3 -0.3 3.2 6.2 -2.4 -1.5 -1.4
5 0.09 2.8 6.3 -2.2 -1 -0.2
Future(2025)
2 0.5 5.5 8 0.9 1.4 1.9
3 1.2 5.4 9.3 0.3 2.6 3.1
5 1.2 4.7 9.3 0.5 3.2 5.3
Assumptions
2kWp Solar system price ($)* 6499
3kWp Solar system price ($) 8995
5kWp Solar system ($) 12495
PV degradation (%/year) 0.8
Feed-In tariff (cents/kWh) 8
Peak electricity price (cents/kwh) 30.93
Off peak electricity price
(cents/kwh)
15.79
Shoulder electricity price
(cents/kwh)
26.16
Storage (kWh) 6.4
Storage replacement year 12.5
Storage degradation (%) 2
Inverter replacement cost
($/kWh)
0.4
Inverter replacement year 15
Maintenance ($/kW/year) 20
Maintenance escalation (%) 2
* Real prices from abw electric
** Based on the Genesis "My Time Tariff" for Hamilton
18. Storage Only
*Assumptions: Today’s price $11200 (1750 x 6.4), future price $2483 (388 x 6.4). 1 cycle a day for 10 years with 2% degradation allows
charge of 21,257 kWh, with 15% charge loss we get 18068kWh. 11200 ÷ 18068 = 0.62 cents 2483 ÷ 18068 = 0.14
Todays price of batteries you would need to
make a profit of 62 cents for each kWh to break even.
In the future (2025) this may drop to 14 cents.*
Average yearly ROI (over 10 years)
System 6.4kWh Worst Average Best
Today’s price -8.8 -8.4 -8.2
Future price -4.2 -2.3 -1.2
19. Community
2: Adjust load
3: Peak shaving
1: Share energy
PV size
(kW)
No
sharing
Sharing
16
kWh
16 75% 94% 100%
32 57% 70% 91%
21. Dweller
The energy management system (EMS) in a Smart Home is an
automatic and autonomous system. As a result, minimal to no energy
behaviour change is needed. What would help:
• Load shifting to peak generation times
• Set next travel time and distance for your EV