Is self consumption of photovoltaic renewable energy really this simple?
Solar energy production is growing worldwide – overall capacity increased by a third in 2016, with the global installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity reaching 301 GW . As PV becomes more cost effective and a commoditized alternative for electricity production, many building owners are seeking to incorporate PV systems for self-consumption—consuming the energy as it is being produced. This post explains the remarkably simple operation of an electrical installation with a photovoltaic system for self-consumption. Supplying PV electricity in parallel with the grid During the day, while the sunlight and PV panels are producing electricity, the electrical installation is powered both by the grid and the PV system. These two sources operate in parallel, with no transfer of supply from one source to the other. To facilitate this, inverters convert the DC electricity produced by the solar panels into AC electricity. The PV inverters synchronize their output power with the grid vol...