The concept of solar I think has gotten some kind of pre-defined settings in the beginning that people still carry on till now. "The concept of using solar with storage as backup". The idea seem good but in my concern on this is when we claim we are doing solar with its very expensive battery storage as backup. So if the grid is stable for 6 months, it will mean that the batteries lie down fully charged for the 6 months without any discharge. My point of discussion then is, under the scenario of somehow stable grid, what configuration of solar is the best. I am not asking for grid-tie solution please. I want us to limit the scope of this discussion to stand-alone or hybrid systems.
Let's share ideas.
This very old scientific contribution can be a great input in this discussion. I will follow very closely the proposals that are generated.
Article Solar Energy and Electric Utilities: Should They Be Interfaced?
Abstract
Analyses of the economics of solar collection in the firm- and shifting-peak cases (that is, with off-peak electricity indefinitely available or with a flat load curve) indicate that, for many important applications, solar energy systems that interface with electric utilities can be justified only in terms of the value of the off-peak utility fuels that they displace. In regions where off-peak electricity costs are low, the most economically efficient solar energy systems will be those that use electricity as the auxiliary energy source. This implies extremely low break-even costs for a number of important solar energy applications. In regions where the cost of off-peak electricity is higher than that of competing energy forms, the most economical solar energy systems will utilize auxiliary fuels other than electricity. The general conclusion is that conventional electric utility systems and most solar energy systems represent a poor technological match. The basic problem is that both technologies are very capital intensive. The electric utility, because of the high fixed costs of generation, transmission, and distribution capacity, represents a poor backup for solar energy systems. On the other hand, the solar collection system, because it represents pure, high-cost capital and because of its outage problems, cannot be considered as a part-load source of auxiliary energy for the electric utility system.
This can only be answered if you can put some sort of cost on mains failure. In many applications, it may not matter if power is lost for a few hours and there is no sun (or wind, etc). In other applications there could be loss of life, e.g. if the power supplies some life-essential device like a respirator.
Prof Tony Maine , How about using the backup storage to sell the electricity to the grid when the prices are high ( at day or night). Secondly, during the nighttime, the storage could be used for reactive power support. Thirdly the storage could be utilized in providing ancillary services like low-voltage-ride-through (LVRT). Fourthly, it can work as a UPS during the grid failure and provide the necessary power to the critical load. In all these scenarios, the batteries will be charged and discharged continuously. Also, the cost of batteries is now continuously reducing, making them a viable option for microgrid systems.
Muhammed, you have answered your own question! Of course all these things can be done using existing technology (or nearly) and a smart meter. However, assigning a cost and thus performing a cost benefit analysis to all this does first depend on assigning a cost to the disruption of power however caused. I suggest you simulate this using estimated costs (guesses) and see how attractive you can make it and what parameters and circumstances are that produce that cost or benefit. Best wishes with your research!
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