Insights on capacity value of photovoltaic systems coupled with batteries

In the transition to a power system based on renewable energy sources, resource adequacy becomes an increasingly important topic. The capacity that distributed generation coupled with duration-limited electricity storage can supply during peak residual load hours, i.e. the capacity value, is still underexplored territory. In this research, we investigate the capacity value ratio for a community battery coupled with photovoltaic (PV) systems, using various optimization algorithms. We show that batteries which are only charged with PV-generated electricity can have a mean capacity value ratio of 50% when looking at the peak 1.5 GW (peak ∼8%) of the Dutch power system, whereas a grid-charged community battery can have a mean capacity value ratio of 76%. Results are robust for analyses of different years, but do exhibit large variations between different days. Furthermore, the amount of capacity that is considered peak load has a large impact, as well as the discharge time of the battery.