SolarPower Europe says in a brand new report that households in Germany, Spain, and Italy can greater than triple their financial savings by pairing PV with warmth pumps. It stated this mix helped households to avoid wasting between 62% and 84% on their annual vitality payments in 2022.
It pays off to put in warmth pumps with PV in residential houses in Germany, Spain, and Italy, somewhat than both know-how by itself, SolarPower Europe says in a brand new report.
“A photo voltaic PV set up enhances a family’s warmth pumps and fulfills a major extent of its electrical energy wants. The financial savings for the 2 applied sciences collectively are then increased than for every particular person know-how,” the report says.
The business physique modeled three eventualities for medium-sized households in Germany, Spain, and Italy in the course of the vitality disaster in 2022. A “PV-only” state of affairs, a “warmth pump-only” state of affairs, and a “PV plus warmth pump” combo state of affairs, which additionally features a buffer – a heat water storage tank. The financial savings are in comparison with the value that the typical household family would pay by sourcing all its electrical energy from the grid and utilizing a gasoline boiler for heating.
The PV system was assumed to have capacities of 8 kW in Germany and seven kW in Spain and Italy. An air-source warmth pump with 7 kW, 3 kW, and 4 kW output was modeled for the three international locations, respectively. In Germany, the capability of the storage tank was set to 800 liters, and to 400 liters in each Spain and Italy.
The thermal demand for house and water heating was modeled at 12,000 kWh to twenty,000 kWh, for current constructing shares and utilizing a gasoline boiler with 85% effectivity. The annual electrical energy demand for a mean household house was assumed at 4,000 KWh to 4,500 kWh, and the gasoline and electrical energy costs for 2022 had been set in line with the Household Energy Price Index.
“All related assist measures making use of to common household houses are included,” SolarPower Europe stated, noting that this consists of VAT cuts on gasoline in all three international locations. For PV electrical energy era, financial savings from feeding electrical energy again to the grid are additionally included.
The outcomes present that Italian households saved essentially the most through the use of a PV-heat pump combo at €3,766 ($3,984), reportedly as a consequence of excessive electrical energy costs in Italy. Germany adopted with financial savings of €3,614, and Spain at €2,831.
“Lowered financial savings in Spain replicate the measures taken by the Iberian market to decrease wholesale electrical energy costs,” stated SolarPower Europe.
The mixture of each applied sciences decreased the vitality invoice by 62% in Germany, 83% in Italy, and 84% in Spain, compared with the state of affairs the place households sourced all electrical energy from the grid and used gasoline for heating.
Within the “warmth pump-only” state of affairs, financial savings for Germany stood at €1,884, €958 for Spain, and €506 for Italy. Within the “PV-only state of affairs”, Italy had financial savings of €2,935, Spain of €1,352, and Germany of €1,263.
The research additionally exhibits that photo voltaic PV and warmth pumps work successfully collectively all year long if the buffer storage tank can also be put in. In Germany, solar energy can cowl 36% of whole warmth pump electrical energy demand in a chilly yr with low PV output, in line with SPE. Spain and Italy, showered with solar, current the perfect outcomes. Even in a chilly yr with low PV enter, photo voltaic covers 59% of the warmth pump demand in Spain, and 50% in Italy.
SPE concludes the report with 5 coverage suggestions for reducing the payback interval of the PV-heat pump combo from purportedly round 20 years at current to a way more engaging 10 years. These embody rising Capex assist for mixed investments, providing loans at a low-interest fee, and selling collective self-consumption.
“One of the best time to put in photo voltaic PV + warmth pumps was yesterday,” stated Dries Acke, coverage director of SolarPower Europe. “The subsequent finest time is now. European policymakers have to convey the advantages of gas-free houses to the broader inhabitants.”
