Mats Ronnelid1* and Nicolas Estevez2

‘Solar Energy Research center SERC, Hogskolan Dalama, 78188, Borlange, Sweden

+46 23 778712, mrd@du. se

2SES Sustainable Energy Solutions AG. Basler Strasse 337, 4123 Allschwil / Basel, Switzerland

* Corresponding Author, mrd@du. se

Abstract

The purpose of the present work is to examine how much PV that can be installed in the Swedish electricity grid before occurrences of electricity production from PV exceeding the electricity consumption start to happen. This is important to know since the use of PV in the electricity grid can be assumed to increase rapidly in the next decades. If PV should have an important role in the future electricity mix, it is important to know how electricity production and electricity demand matches to be able to prepare that PV can have a significant share of the electricity production.

With the electricity demand profile of today, Sweden will face a problem with electricity overproduction when PV panel production accounts for about 9% of total yearly electricity demand. If other non-interruptible electricity sources like some hydro power, nuclear power and wind energy are taken into account, even less solar electricity can be produced within the Swedish electricity grid. Although this scenario might be over a decade away from happening it is important to look ahead now and make sure that our current practices and standards do not lead us into trouble in the future.

Keywords: Electricity grid, PV, overproduction