Coupling small batteries and PV generation: A review

The decarbonization of both power and mobility sectors are two main goals established during international environmental summits. Distributed battery storage, such as electric vehicles batteries and stationary ones, ranging from around a dozen to a few hundred kWh and photovoltaic (PV) systems are disruptive technologies not only because they can individually contribute to CO2 emissions reduction but also due to the positive synergies between them. Batteries can store electricity surplus produced by PVs during the day, avoiding curtailment, and restore it to the grid to shave peak load or when external grid constraints are identified. We provide an analytical framework identifying the main research areas dealing with PV-EV-battery relationships to academics, stakeholders and policymakers willing to acquire further knowledge on this topic. The coupling between PV-EV-battery depends not only on the technological progress or economic regulations, but also on the under-explored user acceptance towards the technologies. First, emerging technologies (e.g. microgrids, vehicle-to-grid and blockchain) will deeply impact PV-EV-battery synergy, forcing electricity grid operators to readjust the way how the grid is managed. Second, inappropriate economic regulations (e.g obsolete tariff and ancillary services market designs) and outdated strategies formulated by the automotive sector could jeopardize all the potential benefits brought by the coupling. Then, user acceptance is found to be a decisive variable in whether people are willing to invest in distributed energy systems. Finally, we identify the literature gaps that warrant further investigation.