ᐅ New photovoltaic system with storage in a single-family house – experiences

Hello everyone, has anyone already installed a photovoltaic system with storage? If so: How long have you had it, which brand, and what are your experiences? Is anyone planning (like me) to install such a system soon? Given the continuously decreasing feed-in tariffs, it is definitely worth considering. What key parameters are you using for your calculations? Thanks for specific answers!

Hello, six months ago we installed a photovoltaic system and planned various options, from east/west to south orientation, large system, small system, with storage, without storage...

And no matter how we looked at it... storage alone does not make economic sense, because in the best-case scenario each self-produced and self-consumed kWh still cost more than 40 cents, not even considering the tax implications of self-consumption.

Thank you for your reply; I am currently at the beginning of developing the house concept (construction will not start until summer 2017), so I still have some time to see if storage prices might drop. My main focus is not on immediate profitability, as we are building the house for retirement and, looking ahead 5 to 10 years or more, I cautiously expect electricity costs for private customers to be in the range you mentioned. I want to build a house with as low operating costs as possible, for example using a ground source heat pump with photovoltaic panels. Interest rates for money in the bank are nearly zero nowadays, so we prefer not to take out a loan but rather invest in an affordable energy future. Therefore, I am already looking into storage systems; some are on the market, but all are still relatively new. It seems that everyone here in the forum still benefits from the relatively high feed-in tariffs so far, but these will be much lower in the future—around 12 cents per kWh, and likely even less later on. We will have to wait and see if someone gains initial experience with this. Thank you anyway for your opinion.

This is not an opinion, but based on experience. I don’t know how old you are, but before retirement, you will probably have to replace the inverter once due to a defect. Maybe by then it will also be economical to add battery storage. Certainly not within the next 1-2 years.

One thing I don’t understand... You want low operating costs, that’s clear, but you’re willing to accept an electricity price of 40 cents per kWh over the next 10 years…

You might as well stand on the street and throw your money out the window.

You can do that, but you don’t have to.

We also have a heat pump. And I’ll tell you this: the concept of photovoltaic panels, battery storage, and heat pump works – especially in the months when you only need the washing machine for warm water.

In winter, you will pay for it. That’s just how it is.

It’s clear: And I’ll tell you this—the concept with photovoltaic panels, battery storage, and a heat pump works, especially in the months when you only need the heat pump for hot water. That’s why I’m building a house with less than 20 kWh/m²/year, and in winter we’ll use the fireplace instead—we want an open-plan design and we love a real fireplace anyway. It will all be sorted out... I’ll report back later on exactly how it works. The whole thing will be a beautiful "model railway."

The best overview of the current battery options can be found at the Consumer Advice Center NRW. I am also considering this topic – is the battery worth it with a €5000 (about $5300) subsidy from the KfW, or is it better to wait!?