New Electricity Storage Evaluation Tool in the Pipeline
In course of the project Store4HUC, the so-called Autarky Rate Tool will be developed. This very useful simple online tool is soon available for everyone who consider to install electrical storage solutions in combination with renewable energy sources. With only a few numbers, the user can get an evaluation of the technical, economical and ecological effects of the chosen renewable energy storage system configuration.
The Autarky Rate Tool will enable the user to easily calculate the so-called “autarky rate”: a figure for the independency of the public energy grid. If the autarky rate is high, the user is able to self-supply major parts of his/her energy demand. To give the user an idea if his configuration is economically feasible for an investment decision, the tool provides energy cost saving calculations as well as a rough estimation of the amortisation period. The ecological impact measured in CO2 savings is calculated based on the national electricity mix.
Another major component of the tool is the checklist that gives the user a possibility to save results in a PDF files and it provides further explanations on how to interpret the calculation results correctly. The tool is designed to be user-friendly, in the same time, the checklist offers additional interpretation aid to non-expert users, a target group that is also addressed by the Autarky Rate Tool. In case of the autarky rate for example, it is not necessarily clear for non-experts what an autarky rate of e.g. 70 % means. Therefore, the checklist does not only show the value of the autarky rate but also provides an explanation what an autarky rate in the particular range means.
While Store4HUC focuses on historical urban buildings, the Autarky Rate Tool’s results are valid also in case of new or older and non-listed buildings. Those users who plan to integrate an energy storage in historical urban centres (HUCs), a further page is added in the checklist, which provides them additional information and advices from the Store4HUC project. This information will be updated regularly with the newest findings of the project.
The Autarky Rate Tool gives a good overview of what positive influence the installation of a storage solution in combination with renewable energy sources might have. This tool doesn’t replace an individual technical configuration assessment, but it may motivate more people to consider such installations on their own due to it’s easy-to-use character.
The tool will be available via the Store4HUC website and the 4ward Energy Research homepage in course of the second half of 2020.
