Software Development to Control the Energy Self-consumption System in Germany

Much attention has been paid to the “energy self-consumption system” in Germany, whose feed-in-tariff (FIT) rate has been decreased since renewable energy was introduced on a large scale. We developed the demonstration system using photovoltaics (PV), batteries, heat pumps and home energy management systems (HEMSs). The purpose of the system is the effective utilization of PV power in an apartment. We propose “the algorithm to maximize self-consumption” and “the algorithm to optimize charging and hot water generation, based on predictions of PV power and the demands of power and heat”. As a result, the system achieved improvement in the self-consumption rate in the whole year.