New photovoltaic system with storage in single-family home - experiences

Good luck with the implementation of your plan. With 88kWh/m² primary energy demand (48kWh/m² final energy demand), it won't work out, despite the wood stove. It won't be economical, ambiance was not up for debate and is not measurable.

That's why I'm also building a house with < 20 kWh/m2/year, then in winter the fireplace will be used

I hope your concept fits there. Especially in old age, it can become difficult to procure, store, stack, and bring in the wood, etc. Unfortunately, wood is no longer that cheap, especially ready-split firewood, preferably pre-dried, which then costs quite a bit of money. At that point, a few cents for electricity don't matter anymore.

@hagaense: Thanks for the tip about the Volksbank NRW website, they really have a very good overview of batteries. : that's exactly the plan: to grow old fit by making wood yourself in the forest (very nearby); might last as long as with my grandpa. This will be a pleasure, not a burden...

Hello everyone, does anyone already have a photovoltaic system with storage in operation? If yes: How long, which brand, what are your experiences? Is anyone (like me) planning such a system in the near future? Given the ever-decreasing feed-in tariffs, it is certainly worth reconsidering. What framework data are you calculating with? Thanks for concrete answers!

Hi,

yes. Since 07.04.2016.
An SMA Sunny Boy 5000 Smart-Energy with a 2kWh battery.

East/West orientation. Peak 6.625 kW. East 11 modules at 265 Heat pump, West 14 modules (Solar-World).

My experiences so far are good, even though we had spring/summer... From latest end of October to February, not much should come from the system.

So far:
- approx. 1kWh grid consumption per day
- 85% self-sufficiency rate
- Of the solar power consumed in the house, the battery delivers 30%! It can be observed here that even in bad weather conditions and very low yields, the battery somehow still gets charged and the 2kWh is used. Best case was almost 4kWh/day through multiple charging/discharging. Really good!

The battery is not financially worthwhile – it is currently a technical gimmick, worldview, hobby, call it what you want. I can only settle the calculation in one year, but I estimate that the battery costs me about 20,-/month more compared to before.

The solution with the small battery definitely brings a lot in terms of self-sufficiency. And satisfies my urge to tinker as well as my joy in buying as little brown coal power as possible. Just my opinion, nothing more.

In addition, the system has helped me optimize my electricity consumption further. In standby at night with ventilation and so on, I am now at 175Wh (previously 245)! Daily consumption around 6-8 kWh (cooking, washing, dishwasher, TV,...). Last year still over 15kWh/day, sometimes 18. Now in summer: doesn’t matter. Not in winter.

Regards
Thorsten

Hello Thorsten, thank you very much for your reply. So far, it looks pretty good, despite the relatively small battery. I see it exactly the same way: You definitely won’t get richer with a battery, but you have to buy as little coal or nuclear power as possible. Otherwise, the description could have come from me: bringt auf jeden Fall schon eine Menge in Sachen Autarkie und befriedigt meinen Spieltrieb. One quick question: What kind of heating and hot water preparation does the house have? Probably not a heat pump, right?

Best regards Bernd

You have already heard several times that the battery is currently not worth it.
To what extent the future will bring more remains to be seen. Tesla entered the market with the Powerwall (last year?) and wants to produce it in mass production. Other providers are on a similar path. This could lead to price drops – or not.

There are almost no interest rates for money in the bank anymore, so we simply do not take out a loan but rather invest in an (energy) cost-effective future.

Are you currently building or have you just bought?
I'm just wondering because you say that your money in the bank hardly yields anything anymore.
Mine neither – after the house construction it has disappeared from there except for the reserves.
What I mean by that: Whoever installs a photovoltaic system on the roof during house construction usually has to finance it because the equity capital has already gone into the house construction anyway. These interest payments must be earned by the photovoltaic system in turn. Thus, the break-even point for purchasing a battery moves even further back.

Apparently, everyone here in the forum still benefits from the relatively high feed-in tariffs so far, but these are quite low in the future; around 12 cents per kWh and will surely be even less later.

I think most of those posting here are between 0.12 and 0.13 euros/kWh.
We currently feed in at 0.1275 (as of August 2014).
Currently, we do not run our geothermal heat pump via photovoltaics but use the heat pump electricity. Last year’s heat consumption was just under 3,500 kWh (KfW70 according to Energy Saving Ordinance 2009). Unfortunately, at the time of highest consumption, there is hardly enough sunshine.

Btw: This year, except for January and February, every month produced less than the same period in 2015. Even this excellent August will probably come with 20-30 kWh less feed-in. Let’s see to what extent September/October can still catch up. According to the weather forecast, it should start positively at least.