A comparative study of energy management systems for PV self-consumption

Abstract

With the growing progress in the smart grid and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies from one hand and on the other hand the decrease of the cost of renewable energy, especially the photovoltaic (PV) energy. Energy management systems (EMS) for PV self-consumption would represent an efficient and intelligent solution for each electricity consumer in order to optimize the use of PV production while reducing the utilization of the power grid. In this context, many solutions have been developed. However, no effort so far has been made to compare their features. This article provides a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of currently available solutions for the “EMS for PV self-consumption”, by introducing their main features, their methods for improving PV self-consumption and the different communication protocols used.