Page 125 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Homes-Volume 1

OBSERVATIONS ZERO NET ENERGY CASE STUDY HOMES
Grid harmonization involves flattening the electric power demand over the course of the day so that the power plants and electric grid operate more steadily and, as a result, more reliably. The component technology that can effect this desired change to the current trend is electric battery storage. Adding energy storage to the grid and/or the individual home will allow solar energy col- lected during the day to be stored for later use in the evening, thus producing the desired effect. This technology promises to have such beneficial effects that Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill2 to provide almost $1 billion in rebates to customers who install batteries through 2025, which is anticipated to add three gigawatts of storage capacity to California’s power grid.
This advance in renewable energy systems design will affect individual residential projects in the near future, including possibly eventual code requirements, utility time-of-day rate structures, and smart control of residential electric power use. Future case study residential projects are likely to involve issues beyond design for annual ZNE performance and include the balance of solar electric power generation and energy storage to optimize both grid performance and the cost of energy to the residential consumer.
2 For the bill’s language, see: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_ id=201720180SB700
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