Are solar-plus-storage projects economically viable?

Technology cost and utility rate structure are key drivers of economic viability of solar and storage systems. This paper explores the economics of solar-plus-storage projects for commercial-scale, behind-the-meter applications. It provides insight into the near-term and future solar-plus-storage market opportunities across the U.S.

Are solar PV and battery energy storage systems a good investment?

With rapidly falling solar PV and battery energy storage costs (U.S. Energy Storage Monitor: Q3 2018 Full Report, 2018, U.S. Energy Storage Monitor: Q3 2018 Full Report, 2018), there is a growing interest in using behind-the-meter, grid-connected solar PV and energy storage systems for energy and demand savings.

Will increasing utility rates increase solar-plus-storage savings?

This suggests that, similar to falling technology costs, increasing utility rates will result in a larger number of solar-plus-storage systems, larger system sizes, and increased savings from each system. On average, savings were highest for projects that combined both solar and storage (see Fig. 13 ).

How much does a solar PV system cost?

The system costs range from $380 per kWh for those that can provide electricity for 4 hours to $895 per kWh for 30-minute systems. All right, so what will a 100-megawatt PV system with a 60-megawatt lithium-ion battery with 4 hours of storage cost?

Where are solar-plus-storage systems most cost-effective?

The highest potential for savings was found in California, New York, New Mexico, and Alaska. Across all scenarios modeled, solar-plus-storage systems were most often cost-effective in San Francisco, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. These locations have both good solar resource and relatively high demand rates.

What is a solar-plus-storage system?

Simply put, a solar-plus-storage system is a battery system that is charged by a connected solar system, such as a photovoltaic (PV) one. In an effort to track this trend, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) created a first-of-its-kind benchmark of U.S. utility-scale solar-plus-storage systems.