Thinking Creatively about Residential Solar PV System Optimization: The Solar Plus Approach

Researchers at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are exploring ways to increase the value of PV through integration with devices that increase self-use. In a recent study published in Applied Energy, the authors demonstrate the economic value of solar plus for customers in different rate structures. Through a series of case studies and sensitivity analyses, the authors show that solar plus can increase PV value by as much as a factor of eight, depending on customer rate structures. The researchers show that solar plus can increase PV value in rate structures with any of three characteristics.