Photovoltaics: a new standard for installations with storage
The XP C 15-712-3 standard, entitled "Photovoltaic installations with storage devices connected to a distribution network," sets out best practices for a rapidly growing industry.
Renewable energy
On February 10, a new voluntary standard for photovoltaic systems equipped with storage devices was published. This is a first: currently, there are no approved French standards or specific European standards for photovoltaic systems with storage devices connected to a public distribution grid. This new document, classified as an experimental standard and referenced as XP C 15-712-3, fills this gap.
In this case, it complements the existing series of guides on photovoltaic systems:
- UTE C 15-712-1, July 2013: Photovoltaic systems without storage connected to the public grid;
UTE C 15-712-2, July 2013: Off-grid photovoltaic systems not connected to the public power grid, with battery storage.
The standard was developed by all stakeholders in the low-voltage electrical installations sector and received support from stakeholders in the "photovoltaic solar energy conversion systems" sector.
A solution to intermittent power
The use of photovoltaic generators combined with a storage system (in the form of batteries or hydrogen, in particular) makes it possible to decouple electricity production from consumption: when there is no sunlight, the storage system releases the energy previously accumulated during periods of intense sunlight when production exceeded consumer demand. “It’s a solution to the problem of renewable energy intermittency,” summarizes Hélène Destruel, standards manager at AFNOR.
These storage-equipped facilities are of particular interest in the French islands (Corsica, the Antilles, Réunion)—regions where solar resources are abundant but the power grid is isolated: without interconnection to the mainland, it is difficult to manage sudden fluctuations in the balance between electricity generation and consumption. In this context, storage provides valuable smoothing. The development of such facilities, encouraged by government tenders, requires that implementation rules be clarified. This is precisely the purpose of the new standard.
