Evaluating self-consumption for domestic solar PV: simulation using highly resolved generation and demand data for varying occupant archetypes

A detailed study of the on-site consumption of domestic solar PV generated electricity has been undertaken in order to gain an insight in to the relationships between annual consumption, generation and grid injection and to explore the effect of factors such as orientation and occupant behaviour on self-consumption (SC). Both empirical and simulated generation and export time series data for a large number of PV systems were analysed, and the degree to which SC is predicted by absolute generation and consumption and its variability have been quantified. SC is seen to be generally less than 50%, and the results illustrate the value of probabilistic models for predicting the socioeconomic impacts of domestic PV. As such, the results are significant for evaluating both socioeconomic impacts and distribution network loadflow implications.