May 26, 2026
Optimizing Self-Consumption: Maximizing Self-Consumption from Your PV System
Published by
Mathijs van der Wielen
Covolt Netherlands
Optimizing self-consumption is the smartest way to get more out of your solar panels without trading on the energy market. Many companies with a PV system feed excess production back into the grid, only to buy that same energy back at a high cost at a later time. That’s a double loss.
Covolt solves this problem using Power Control, which features a battery that monitors the power balance at your connection in real time: when there is a surplus of PV power, the battery charges; when there is a shortage, it discharges. This allows you to use as much of the electricity you generate as possible—automatically, day and night.
What is self-consumption optimization?
When is it useful?
Optimizing self-consumption is most valuable when there is both a significant energy surplus and significant energy demand. This is typically the case for facilities with a large PV system and a continuous consumption profile, such as a farm, an industrial site, or a large-scale consumer with solar panels on the roof. During the day in summer, there is a lot of production, while consumption continues into the evening and night.
When is it less useful? If there is hardly any surplus—because consumption is always higher than PV production—the battery has no surplus to charge. And if there is hardly any consumption, there is no shortfall to compensate for. In both cases, the battery cannot realize its potential through this strategy.
What are the benefits?
Optimizing self-consumption yieldssavingsin three areas:
1. Transmission costs
Reduced grid consumption means lower transmission costs. This is the most direct and certain benefit.
2. Energy Tax & Surcharges/Discounts
If the battery is included in the same contract as the PV system and the electricity consumption, the customer also benefits from reductions in energy tax and grid fees for the energy used locally.
3. kWmax costs
If the monthly peak power is actually reduced—which is the case when peak shaving is active as a supplement—the kWmax costs also decrease.
Peak shaving as a supplement
In addition to optimizing self-consumption, peak shaving can be added. This involves reserving a portion of the battery capacity for peak periods: if consumption threatens to exceed the contracted connection capacity, the battery automatically discharges to prevent this from happening.
Types of Contracts
The role of the battery in the energy contract directly affects revenue and operational complexity.
Withsolar + consumption on PAP and the battery on SAP,the benefits include savings on transmission costs and a simple contract structure. The battery does not affect nominations. Disadvantage: there is no benefit regarding energy tax or storage/discharge.
With solar + consumption + battery on PAP, the customer does benefit from energy tax advantages, and everything is arranged in a single contract.
Comparison with other strategies
| Optimization of self-consumption | Day-ahead optimization | aFRR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary objective | Using surplus electricity for personal use | Price Arbitrage | Grid balancing for TenneT |
| Market revenue | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cost savings | Yes | Limited | No |
| Response time | Real-time | Daily schedule | Within 30 seconds |
What can Covolt do for you?
- Covolt configures self-consumption optimization based on your connection capacity and energy profile.
- The Covolt Horizon Control Box monitors power flows in real time and immediately regulates the battery if a limit is about to be exceeded.
- With the Covolt myHorizon app, you can always see how your battery has been performing.
- Covolt takes into account connection limits, safety margins, and optional assets such as charging stations and PV curtailment.
