What is self-consumption?

We’ve known for some time that the sun is to set on subsidised solar next year. The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme will likely end in April 2019, and there's talk the export tariff will go with it. So anyone generating excess electricity for the grid won't get paid for it. Which now means the best way to ensure you're not left in the hands of Government policies, is to power your home through self-consumption.

What is self-consumption and why is it more important than ever before?

Self-consumption essentially means replacing the energy that you would have bought from the grid with that which you can generate from your rooftop solar system. A self-consumption system means that energy which is not used, and which you may have been sending back to the grid to benefit from payments generated from the FIT system, is stored in your home for later use. Being able to store solar energy in a battery storage system like the Tesla Powerwall in your home is an incredible leap in technology, which continues to develop at pace. It has fundamentally changed the way energy is produced and delivers benefits both for the individual and society as a whole. Ultimately, self-consumption allows consumers to maximise the benefits from their solar systems.   It is particularly effective for householders because their homes generally have different consumption patterns depending on the time of day and day of the week. Most individuals will register their peak electricity use during the early morning and evening and such units can monitor supply to suit. Almost three-quarters of a typical household’s power usage are used in heating water and space heating. With the Tesla Powerwall, the system draws energy from the battery and the unit has the ability to load shift. This means that the battery maximises the energy it stores from the sun’s rays while covering requirements from low rate times by drawing power from the grid. By installing a solar energy system simply you're not only doing your bit for the environment, but you're also saving money. So that means self-consumption is absolutely crucial. From a simple economic perspective, self-consumption is the only way to make solar pay with the end of FIT.

Applications of self-consumption from solar power

The Tesla Powerwall revolutionised solar energy use in the UK by enabling people to store more excess energy generated from their rooftops than ever before, and the super huge battery has continued to develop with regular updates to the cutting-edge piece of kit. Systems such as the Powerwall require no maintenance as it is an automated one that’s compact and simple. One such application is harnessing the sun’s power to run a thermodynamic heating system. A heat collector panel and compressor are installed to convert solar energy in such a way as to heat the water you use in your home. Typical systems use energy from solar panels to power an immersion heater for almost free to use hot water. Using solar power for pumping water is also one of the most efficient applications for such systems. Uses of such heat pumps range from powering commercial systems to moving water around the home and the garden. Solar technology can also be used for every other electricity requirement in the home such as to power lighting systems, toasters, kettles, showers, vacuum cleaning, laundry and charging electronic devices. Systems like the Tesla Powerwall can also power your home during an electricity outage, which is particularly useful for those who may be old or vulnerable and families with young children. The future is certainly bright for solar users as well as those thinking of installing such a system to reap the benefits from self-consumption.