Exploring the profitability of single and multi-use energy storage systems mirroring real-world conditions

The economic viability of energy storage systems is crucial for encouraging their adoption within the commercial and industrial sectors. This paper examines the economic profitability of peak shaving and self-consumption optimisation, both individually and in combination through comprehensive simulations that include real load data from 50 small- and medium-sized companies in Germany. A central innovation of this research is the integration of a realistic forecasting model alongside a detailed economic model, improving the real-world applicability of the results. Our analysis of peak-shaving and self-consumption optimisation as standalone strategies indicate that while self-consumption optimisation could not be considered profitable for any of the companies analysed, peak shaving proved lucrative if the load falls into the right tariff structure based on the annual usage hours. Consistent with related research, the findings reveal that multi-use operation can increase profitability. However, the discrepancy between the profitability using ideal versus realistic forecasts is considerable. Multi-Use with perfect forecasts enhanced the median net present value by 27.59% compared to single usage, whereas using realistic forecasts resulted in a modest 4.96% increase.