Optimal Design of a PV Installation with Regards to a House’s Electrical Load Curve

31st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 2672-2675
PV installations on individual dwellings are generally designed in order to maximize the electrical output given the physical constraints of the building. Financial incentives also play a major role, the structure of the feed-in tariffs and the fiscal measures leading to a majority of 3-kWp residential PV installations in France. When possible, the solar panels are South-facing and tilted at 30° to 40° for a maximum yield. However, if the aim is no longer to maximize the solar panels’ output but to match as much as possible the PV production profile to the electrical load curve, several new approaches appear: - the first and most commonly studied is to shift some electrical loads to hours of the day when the solar panels generate electricity. This demand side management generally acts on electric hot water tanks, electrical heating, heat pumps and electric vehicle batteries when relevant. - the second and novel approach is the one presented in this paper, which consists in adapting the PV installation to the electrical load curve of the house.