The deployment of paired solar PV and lithium ion battery storage systems is growing rapidly in the U.S. This is an executive summary of a study that evaluated the market applications and relative costs for paired solar plus storage systems, encompassing the multiple considerations a project designer needs to address in sizing such systems and configuring them to provide the intended grid services. The study emphasized the importance of understanding the full lifecycle cost of paired solar plus storage projects, and provides estimates for turnkey installed costs, maintenance costs, and decommissioning costs. Focus was placed on comparing the relative costs and operating characteristics of AC-coupled systems versus DC-coupled systems. Finally, the study examined the importance of understanding not just costs, but also performance and value of solar plus storage systems in comparing their relative competitiveness with incumbent technologies. Results of this analysis support the continued evaluation and potential deployment of paired solar plus energy storage as a grid asset.
Authors Erin Minear et al