The noted multinational engineering and electronics company Bosch will soon be releasing a new energy management system for the optimization of electrical and thermal energy consumption from personal solar power systems, according to a recent announcement from the company.
The new system is expected to launch at this year’s Intersolar exhibition and conference. Referred to as an “intelligent networked solution,” the system — which is aimed at residential consumers — will allow users to effectively “combine the use of photovoltaic arrays with a heat pump, with the whole network controlled by a Bosch e.Control control unit.”
What that means, essentially, is that when there’s sufficient solar irradiation, the electricity generated by the PV system that isn’t being used at the time is used to drive the heat pump — limiting the amount of energy that is sold back to the grid at potentially low rates. The system can be combined effectively with energy storage systems, according to Bosch.
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The e.Control unit connects to the householder’s electricity meter, monitoring energy use around the home. The system prioritizes the energy needs of whoever is occupying the house and running appliances, after which it can heat up the household’s hot water tank via the heat pump. The company says this means the amount of solar-generated electricity sold back to the grid at low tariffs is minimized, with as much power as possible used on site. Bosch also claims this means the burden on the public grid network is reduced.
Combining the ‘network solution’ with Bosch’s own hybrid solar storage product BPT-S 5 means that the heat pump can be run from electricity stored in the BPT-S 5’s lithium-ion battery. By running excess power into the household hot water storage tank, the overall energy storage capacity of the system can be increased. Bosch claims that using a BPT-S 5 Hybrid storage system can increase the self-reliance of a normal four person household by 75%, even without use of a heat pump. This figure could rise to 100% during some portions of summer months.
The system will be presented at the Intersolar show taking place on June 4-6 in Munich, Germany.
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