Sol-Ion PV Storage System: Field Trial Results, Spread of Operating Conditions and Performance Evaluation Based on Field Data

The French-German Research Project “Sol-ion” has developed a PV storage system based on Li-Ion batteries. The paper provides an update on the field test results up to August 2012. The data is analyzed with respect to the parameters critical to the economics of the system and with respect to non-monetary values provided by local self-sufficiency (autonomy) and back-up capability in case of grid failure. A black-box approach is proposed and applied to calculate the efficiency of the PV storage system during operation from logged traces of PV energy fed into the system and energy delivered from the system. Benefit of this approach is to allow collection performance parameters of PV storage systems from field data, without need for measurements at internal interfaces.