Power storage modeling for renewable energy systems

Renewable energy production is increasing, and the cost of power storage is decreasing, enabling users to exercise control over their power consumption from the electricity grid. To achieve partial or complete energy independence, consumers need to be able to calculate the energy storage required to cover periods when renewable power is not being produced. To address this need, a model is introduced which determines energy storage characteristics from a single simulation of an energy production system. From this model, the optimal storage size necessary for a required level of grid-independence can be calculated quickly, to a high degree of accuracy. By using existing data, no user estimation of demand parameters is required, making this model accessible to non-specialists. The optimal battery size for a domestic photovoltaic - battery system under varying demand and production scenarios is analysed and the accuracy and computational performance of the model assessed.