{"id":1579,"date":"2020-04-14T14:54:27","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T14:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regalgrid.com\/magazine\/scambio-sul-posto-quali-sono-le-alternative-piu-convenienti\/"},"modified":"2024-09-25T13:16:33","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T13:16:33","slug":"exchange-on-the-spot-which-are-the-most-convenient-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/exchange-on-the-spot-which-are-the-most-convenient-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeding energy into the grid: which alternatives offer the best deal?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Each country can offer a\u00a0<strong>service\u00a0<\/strong>to citizens and small businesses with a photovoltaic system that allows them to feed surplus self-generated energy into the electricity system, with an\u00a0<strong>economic return<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>But is this the best deal? Are there other, more efficient solutions to increase the yield of your photovoltaic system? Let\u2019s consider the various aspects to understand which is the best solution.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Payment for energy fed into the grid<\/h2>\n<p>Economic considerations are essential when evaluating the benefits of net metering.<\/p>\n<p>In Italy, the economic return for energy fed into the grid is known as a\u00a0<strong>net-metering contribution<\/strong>\u00a0and is\u00a0<strong>issued yearly by the National Operator (GSE)<\/strong>\u00a0in two instalments, an initial payment and a balance, paid at six-month intervals on the basis of monthly monitoring of kWh issued. This amount is calculated considering various factors, including the difference between energy input and withdrawn, the times at which energy is input and the location of the system. The net-metering\u00a0<strong>contribution<\/strong>\u00a0is between\u00a0<strong>30% and 40% lower<\/strong>\u00a0than the actual value of energy that you feed into the grid because a significant portion of system charges and taxes are not applied and the prices used for calculation are set by the Operator.<\/p>\n<p>In the UK and Australia, the amount paid depends on the\u00a0<strong>individual energy company<\/strong>\u00a0which you decide to use, both in terms of\u00a0<strong>tariff\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>frequency<\/strong>. The differences between the two are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the\u00a0<strong>UK<\/strong>\u00a0has established a Government obligation to provide a\u00a0<strong>minimum tariff greater than 0<\/strong>. This is not the case for the Australian federal government, which instead leaves individual jurisdictions to decide<\/li>\n<li>in Australia, the obligation to make a tariff offer is only valid for electricity companies with more than 150,000 customers. Smaller companies may can decide whether to follow the scheme or not, on a voluntary basis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the\u00a0<strong>UK<\/strong>, the majority of SEG (Smart Export Guarantee) tariffs currently offered are fixed, but flexible versions are also making ground, offered by certain \u201cagile\u201d retailers. Fixed tariffs, whilst stable and guaranteed, are around 50% lower than the cost of energy. Meanwhile, in the case of flexible tariffs, it is very important to pay attention to the time periods at which energy is fed into the grid, and therefore your energy-consumption style, otherwise the economic return will be lower than with a fixed tariff.<\/p>\n<p>In\u00a0<strong>Australia<\/strong>, the situation varies from state to state. The Feed-in Net tariff, equivalent to the UK&#8217;s SEG, is significantly more widespread than the Gross version because it offers a better deal. The Gross tariff features input of all energy produced into the national grid, and consumption of energy supplied from it. However, the Net tariff system is also lower than the value of energy input, by around 30%\u201360% depending on the state and the company\u2019s specific offer.<\/p>\n<p>All of this information helps us to understand the value assigned to these payments and therefore to your clean energy. From this brief assessment, it is already clear that\u00a0<strong>individual and collective self-consumption are preferable<\/strong>, and even more so with the addition of\u00a0<strong>storage systems<\/strong>, as they guarantee\u00a0<strong>immediate and significant savings<\/strong>\u00a0on bills.<\/p>\n<p>Firstly,\u00a0<strong>self-consumption<\/strong>\u00a0allows you to\u00a0<strong>avoid spending money on the energy that you consume<\/strong>, particularly if your installation is equipped with a storage system. This solution\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/pv-system-with-storage-benefits-and-costs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">allows you to increase your average instantaneous self-consumption to up to 70%, and even up to 100% at certain times of the year.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Above all,\u00a0<strong>collective self-consumption<\/strong>\u00a0allows you to\u00a0<strong>pay for the energy<\/strong>\u00a0you receive from other members of your energy community at\u00a0<strong>honest, fair and competitive prices<\/strong>, as the\u00a0<strong>purpose<\/strong>\u00a0of energy communities\u00a0<strong>is not profit<\/strong>\u00a0but collective environmental, social and economic benefits.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Energy wasted by net metering<\/h2>\n<p>This input of energy into the national grid can be considered a form of\u00a0<strong>non-instantaneous self-consumption<\/strong>, as if you were using a\u00a0<strong>virtual storage system<\/strong>. Yet in reality, traditional energy purchased from the grid reaches your homes after travelling long distances, with losses and therefore\u00a0<strong>energy wasted during transport<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the energy fed into the national grid does not have a pre-destined use, but is stored within the grid, with greater wastage compared to instantaneous self-consumption. So, whether energy is entering or leaving the national distribution grid, wastage will always be greater compared to energy produced and consumed\u00a0<strong>in the same location<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Also in the case of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/generation-of-energy-with-the-photovoltaic-system-and-more-convenient-self-consumption-or-exchange-on-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>collective self-consumption<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0of energy communities, energy losses are minimal because\u00a0<strong>self-consumption\u00a0<\/strong>is\u00a0<strong>instantaneous<\/strong>\u00a0even though it is deferred: the exchanges of energy with other citizens via a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/smart-grids-what-are-and-how-they-improve-energy-saving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>smart grid<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is possible due to the different energy profiles of the energy-community members, which allows real-time balancing of consumption and a reduction of energy losses. In addition, exchanges always occur within the scope of the same transformer substation, and therefore within a limited range that ensures losses can be avoided.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about the energy savings of a solar-panel installation, we recommend reading\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/energy-saving-with-photovoltaics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The source of energy consumed via net metering<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where does energy come from<\/strong>\u00a0if it is drawn from GSE, as in the case of net-metering agreements?<\/p>\n<p>The Operator does not allow you to manage your energy freely and independently: net metering\u00a0<strong>certainly does not guarantee consumption of renewable energy<\/strong>, such as that produced by your system, or that drawn from an Energy Community. In all probability, the energy you draw from the grid will originate from\u00a0<strong>traditional sources<\/strong>, using raw materials that are not eco-sustainable in the medium or long term.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The best alternatives<\/h2>\n<p>By now it should be clear which is the best alternative.<\/p>\n<p>The choice that can genuinely revolutionise your energy spending, in terms of both consumption and costs,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/photovoltaic-system-installation-the-key-phases-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">is combining a\u00a0<strong>solar panel installation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<strong>with storage system<\/strong>\u00a0and membership of an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/what-energy-communities-are-and-how-to-join-the-revolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>energy community<\/strong><\/a>. This will guarantee maximum value for energy fed into the grid and ensure you always have a supply, through instantaneous collective self-consumption.<\/p>\n<p>Participation in the energy community model is also beneficial for those that haven&#8217;t (yet) installed a photovoltaic system: you can decide to purchase a\u00a0<strong>storage system alone<\/strong>\u00a0and play a role in the community by purchasing and storing energy in the role of\u00a0<strong>storer<\/strong>, or you can simply be a\u00a0<strong><em>consumer<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>purchase energy<\/strong>\u00a0from members who produce it (<strong>prosumers<\/strong>), helping to maximise collective self-consumption. Whatever your choice, you will finally be consuming clean energy, without wastage, and with a tangible saving on costs.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":4412,"parent":0,"template":"","category-magazine":[44],"class_list":["post-1579","magazine","type-magazine","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine-energy-and-economic-savings"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/magazine"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4414,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1579\/revisions\/4414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category-magazine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category-magazine?post=1579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}