Self-consumption rate
Self-consumption rate in the SpeicherCampus context: storage can increase it. Technically, the term is usually described as the share of PV power that is used on site.
What does self-consumption rate mean?
The self-consumption rate is the share of PV generation used on site — directly or via the storage system. A rate of 70 % means: 70 % of the solar power replaces expensive grid purchases, 30 % is exported.
It is the central economic metric of the PV-storage combination, because self-used power is valued at the purchase price and exported power only at the feed-in rate — the difference is the storage system’s earnings.
What matters in practice
- do not confuse it with the self-sufficiency rate (different denominator)
- simulate realistically: 100 % is rarely economical to reach
- every new load (charging points, heat pump) raises the rate by itself
- the last percentage points cost disproportionately much capacity
Practical example
A commercial business raises its rate from 42 to 76 % with storage. Jumping to 90 % would have required triple the capacity — for surpluses that occur on only 30 summer days. It stayed economically sound at 76 %.
The SpeicherCampus perspective
SpeicherCampus optimizes for the economical self-consumption rate, not the maximum one — the marginal value of every additional kWh of capacity is made explicit.