Profitability of Building Integrated PVs Enhanced by Batteries and Load Management Considering Battery Aging

The increasing adoption of PV-battery systems highlights the need for accurately assessing their economic feasibility, particularly in the absence of feed-in tariff and net metering schemes that are currently abandoned. However, many studies overlook key factors such as load flexibility, and battery degradation, whereas public buildings are rarely examined. This paper addresses these gaps by evaluating the profitability of PV-battery systems in public buildings located in Cyprus, Greece, and Italy, considering a detailed battery capacity degradation model and load shifting capability. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis examines the effects of PV and battery system sizes, load flexibility levels, state of charge (SoC) operating range, and battery subsidies on the profitability and building's energy self-sufficiency. The results reveal that load flexibility significantly enhances economic viability of PV-battery systems, favoring configurations with larger PV capacities and smaller batteries. While achieving maximum self-sufficiency is technically possible, it is not yet cost-effective without financial incentives. Moreover, adopting a detailed battery degradation model leads in less optimistic yet more accurate expected battery lifespan and affects the profitability analysis. The study demonstrates that lowering the minimum SoC limit generally increases profitability, while reducing the maximum SoC limit prolongs battery life. These findings address critical gaps in existing literature and provide actionable insights for optimizing PV-battery systems in public buildings under contemporary market and policy conditions.