Path-Q Solar
Should I prioritize daytime self-consumption if exported solar earns less value?
Answer
Generally, yes: when exported electricity is worth less than avoided purchases, using solar directly during generation hours usually has greater value. The practical strategy is to shift flexible loads to sunny periods or evaluate storage, while accounting for battery losses, degradation, cost, and the actual tariff.
Key points
- Directly using solar can avoid a higher purchase rate than the credit received for exports.
- Flexible loads may include water heating, laundry, dishwashing, pool equipment, or vehicle charging, depending on the household.
- A battery can move energy to later periods but adds cost, losses, capacity limits, and maintenance considerations.
- The best strategy depends on hourly load, production, export value, and any time-varying purchase rates.
What it depends on
- Purchase and export rates by time period
- Household load flexibility and solar production profile
- Battery installed cost, usable capacity, efficiency, and expected life
- Demand charges, fixed charges, and export limits
Risks and trade-offs
- Shifting loads can reduce convenience or require control equipment.
- A battery may not be economical if the value difference is small or cycling is limited.
- Maximizing self-consumption can conflict with outage reserve or other battery objectives.
Information you may need
- Hourly or interval usage data
- Solar production estimate by time period
- Current purchase and export tariff
- Battery quote and operating priorities
Your next step
What to do next
Compare direct load shifting, no battery, and battery scenarios using the household's hourly data and current purchase and export values.
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