A simple strategy to optimally design and manage a photovoltaic plant integrated with a storage system for different applications

The main goal of the present paper is that of proposing a methodology for the optimal sizing of a Photovoltaic (PV) unit and a Storage (ST) device, basing on data concerning typical load and PV production profiles. To achieve this result, a set of simple requirements to manage the charging/discharging of the storage is firstly proposed. Then, the overall cost of the whole system is deduced as a function of two variables (PV and ST sizes) and minimized in order to find the optimal sizing of the system. Finally, an economic analysis is presented to determine whether or not the investment is profitable.