Together, SMA(link is external), Vaillant(link is external) and the German universityRWTH Aachen(link is external), want to explore the possibilities of combining photovoltaic systems with combined heat and power (CHP) plants and heat pumps. The goal of the project PV-KWK is to find the most effective combination of these systems for different applications and include smart homes and energy storage e.g. in eMobility.

The idea behind the project is that heat pumps and CHP plants, usually installed primarily to supply heat to a building, can get new jobs. They could for example compensate the fluctuating power supply from the photovoltaic system in addition to fulfilling their original purpose. The heating components on the other hand could be balanced by the solar system’s load control or even by its storage. The project partners hope that all of these possibilities will lead to a higher self-consumption, relieve the grid or function as a “pooled virtual power plant”.

For the project SMA wants to expand its energy management options and draft open interface standards. To test whether the combined systems work in practice, there will be field tests with multiple pilot systems in single and multi-family homes or in commercial buildings.

“An increasing number of households and companies are taking responsibility for their electricity and heat supply into their own hands with photovoltaics and decentralized CHP plants, and are becoming more independent from rising electricity prices. The intelligent coupling of solar systems and CHP plants offers attractive and technically ambitious opportunities,” explained SMA Board Member for Technical Innovation, Roland Grebe.

The project PV-KWK will run until November 2017 and is partially funded by the German ministry of Education and Research, with € 3 million of the € 5.5 million budget coming from the ministry. SMA Solar Technology AG is the coordinator of the project.