Profitability Analysis of a Prosumer Photovoltaic Installation in Light of Changing Electricity Billing Regulations in Poland

Abstract

The evolving legislation regarding electricity billing for both consumers and prosumers, coupled with the growing interest in photovoltaic installations with energy storage, provided the motivation to examine the operational and financial viability of a prosumer photovoltaic installation located in Poland. Two options were considered: a standard photovoltaic system without energy storage and an installation with batteries. Furthermore, four scenarios were analyzed, each reflecting a different way of accounting for the electricity bought and sold by the prosumer. Another scenario is that energy prices are influenced by a high share of renewable sources. As the changes to the billing scheme are a recent development, there is no relevant analysis currently available. In order to ensure the reliability of the analysis, PVsyst 7.4 software was employed to establish the main performance and financial parameters for the selected PV systems. Analysis showed that using an energy storage system will increase the energy self-consumption from 28.6% to 60.4%, which in some cases would have a great influence on profitability of the investment. In the worst scenario, the payback period is too long (13.7 years). But in the most favorable scenario, with additional financing, it drops to 3.9 years.