Economic Impact of New Pricing Policies on Solar PV Households in the Netherlands

Abstract

The widespread adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology as a prominent renewable energy source has significant implications for the economy of households and distribution system operators (DSOs). It is crucial to analyse these impacts in light of recent pricing policy changes, including Real-Time Pricing (RTP), Time-of-Use (TOU), and Feed-in Tariffs (FiT). This study analyses the impact of pricing policies based on actual load consumption, pricing rate, and PV generation data. An economic comparison of various scenarios for a typical household in the Netherlands is conducted by determining the optimal values for PV size. The findings suggest that transitioning to RTP policies reduces households’ economic advantages. The introduction of FiT further diminishes the financial benefits for households and increases the Payback period (PP). Moreover, the study reveals that imposing an export power limit of less than 3 kW can increase households’ energy costs.