How Much Energy Can Your Battery Shift?
Estimate daily and annual energy shifted from a lower-value period into a higher-value period while accounting for battery capacity, available solar, target demand and efficiency.
What energy shifting means
Energy shifting stores electricity when its immediate economic value is lower and uses it later when its value is higher. Solar installations commonly use excess daytime generation for later consumption.
Why available energy and target demand both matter
A large battery cannot shift more energy than the available charging energy or the amount of useful demand in the target period. The tool deliberately uses the limiting energy quantity.
Efficiency reduces delivered energy
Round-trip losses mean some source energy does not reach the later load. Ignoring those losses overstates the benefit of storage.
Tariff values are scenario inputs
The low-period value can represent export opportunity cost or another alternative use. The high-period value can represent avoided purchases or another legitimate economic benefit. Fixed charges and demand charges are outside this calculator.
FAQs
Can this estimate solar self-consumption value?
Yes, when the high-period value reflects avoided energy purchases and the low-period value represents the alternative value of that solar.
Does this model battery power limits?
No. It is an energy-capacity model.
What if low-period value is higher?
The calculated economic benefit falls because the alternative use of energy becomes more valuable.
Does this include degradation?
No. Long-term degradation should be modeled separately when relevant.