Fuzzy logic based economical analysis of photovoltaic energy management

Since 2002 the European Union has seen a rapid growth in the photovoltaic (PV) sector. During the last two years incentives for PV installations were cut almost worldwide slowing the growth of the market. In this scenario the design of a new plant ensuring economic convenience is strongly related to household electricity consumption patterns and energy management actions. This paper presents a high-resolution model of domestic electricity use based on Fuzzy Logic Inference System. Taking into account consumers sensibility concerning the rational use of energy, the model gives as output a 1-min resolution overall electricity usage pattern of the household. The focus of this work is the use of a novel fuzzy model combined with a cost benefits analysis to evaluate the real economic benefits of load shifting actions. A case study is presented to quantify its effectiveness in the new net metering Italian scenario. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.