Self-Consumption
Self-Consumption refers in photovoltaics to the direct use of self-generated electricity by a solar system. Instead of feeding excess electricity into the public grid, it is used on-site for personal needs.
Advantages of Self-Consumption
- Cost Savings: Through self-consumption, electricity costs can be significantly reduced, especially with rising electricity prices.
- Independence: Self-consumption reduces dependency on energy suppliers and increases supply security.
- Environmental Friendliness: Every self-consumed kilowatt-hour of solar power replaces an equivalent amount of electricity from conventional power plants, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions.
Ways to Increase Self-Consumption
- Intelligent Energy Management Systems: These systems optimize the use of electrical devices to maximize self-consumption.
- Battery Storage: By storing excess solar power, self-consumption can also be increased during times when there is no sunlight.
- Flexible Load Profiles: Adjusting personal electricity consumption to the generation profiles of the solar system, for example by using heat pumps or electric vehicles, enhances self-consumption.
Legal Framework
The legal framework for self-consumption of solar power is regulated in Germany and many other countries by the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). The EEG promotes the expansion of renewable energies and defines the compensation for fed-in electricity.
Further Keywords: Photovoltaics, Solar Power, Electricity Grid, Battery Storage, EEG (Renewable Energy Sources Act), CO₂ Emissions
