15f Buffering to Cut Photovoltaic Plus Storage System Costs

Renewable energy sources (including solar) can produce copious amounts of power at times, but often very little just a few seconds later. Energy storage is always needed when power is produced for consumption later. Traditional residential scale solutions store energy in batteries. But, batteries can only be charged so fast, and thus a lot of bursty energy goes to waste. • General statement of how this problem is being addressed: Spreadsheet analyses and the company’s initial prototypes proved that buffering bursts of energy when batteries can’t store it fast enough can both cut system costs and reduce energy waste, and that this makes economic sense is places with variable weather conditions, i.e., most of the USA. The objective of this Phase I is to build three different types of buffering systems, at 1/10th of residential scale, to show both that they work and can reduce the levelized cost of Photovoltaic Plus Storage systems in variable weather conditions, which exist in most of the country. • Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The objectives of Phase II will be (1) to build a prototype buffering system, at residential scale, to show both that they work and can reduce the levelized cost of Photovoltaic-plus-storage systems in variable weather conditions, which exist in most of the country; and (2) prepare those technologies for commercialization in the US.