Evaluating the techno-economic feasibility of battery technologies in the context of Solar Home Systems

Abstract

Solar Home Systems (SHS) have recently shown an abundant growth in the developing world, which has also largely improved the energy access situation for the un(der)-electrified. Battery storage is the most important component of the SHS, because of both its higher cost and lower lifetime compared to other SHS components. In this study, we show that the upfront battery cost is only half the picture, and that lifetime evaluation can be equally important. Four battery technologies are assessed for their techno-economic feasibility in the context of a given SHS application. The battery's upfront and replacement costs per technology are bundled together in the form of total energy costs, which gives a more realistic measure of the choice of battery size in the system design phase. The methodology presented here can be extended and applied to specific battery technologies and products, and other PV-battery applications in general.