Executive Summary

As Canada continues its energy transition, the integration of renewable energy resources into various sectors is essential. In the residential construction sector, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, PV with battery energy storage systems (BESSs), or BESSs offer homeowners and grid operators multiple benefits.

This research report proposes a framework to develop practical guidelines, within the scope of Canadian regulations, codes, and standards, for designing PV, PV with BESS, or BESSs for use in the new built residential sector. The framework is based on key use cases that showcase logical design steps supported by modelling tools. The report reviews technical resources, including peer-reviewed and grey literature, software, and practitioner insights to identify the challenges in implementing PV, PV plus BESS or BESS in residential construction.

A decision flow diagram was developed to identify the design steps for five use cases for PV, PV plus BESS systems or BESSs alone. For each of the five use cases, a modelling flow was created that included key performance indicators, modelling inputs, and methodologies. The report explains how and why required granularity for modelling inputs varies, with hourly data required sometimes and annual data at other times.

The review of existing resources highlighted significant gaps in the design and sizing of PV plus BESS system components to achieve specific outcomes, as well as challenges and opportunities for standardization. This research identified four commercially available software tools capable, to varying degrees, of modeling and sizing these systems. Each tool has unique strengths suited to different use cases, but none covers all use cases comprehensively. Practitioners often rely on multiple tools and ad-hoc solutions like spreadsheets, underscoring the need for more integrated and standardized approaches. Additionally, there are no standards covering on-grid solar PV or grid connected PV with BESS for residential constructions, only for off-grid systems. Finally, accurately predicting hour-to-hour load requirements and timing demand-response events remains challenging, affecting battery storage optimization and participation in demand-response programs. To address these gaps, developing a standardized framework for the design of a broad range of PV, PV plus BESS systems, or BESS configurations and objectives could help to streamline and unify the process. In addition to developing standards-based solutions, it is important to provide the necessary tools for standardized modelling. Step-by-step modelling methodologies would ensure standardizing the ways to design systems and size components. Criteria for selecting appropriate PV panels, batteries, and load support systems based on specific project requirements should be included, and the integration of components to optimize system performance and efficiency should be addressed. Developing guidelines for building load profiles using the different methods available could help ensure standardization of load profile development.

In summary, this report underscores the need for standardized approaches to design and size PV, PV plus BESS systems or BESS systems effectively. By addressing the identified challenges, interested parties could potentially better support the integration of PV, PV plus BESS systems or BESSs into residential applications, ultimately contributing to advancing Canada’s energy transition goals.