Storage unit and load management in photovoltaic inverters for residential application

The European policies are encouraging self-consumption and energetic autarchy of the distributed generation system. This is calling for the development of a next-generation of photovoltaic (PV) inverters for residential applications, equipped with battery storage unit and load management embedded tools. This paper presents the results of a system-level analysis realized by means of a model and a dedicated algorithm, aimed at investigating the efficacy of high-level battery energetic management rules and load allocation strategies. In particular, the behavior of a residential PV inverter equipped with a battery system and load manager is analyzed in the framework of incentive policies peculiar of European countries. The effects of constraints on the load management and of battery sizing are also highlighted.