Short-time energy buffering for photovoltaic system

Variable nature of solar radiation makes it impossible to deliver energy from photovoltaic (PV) system at constant power level. Energy backup and storage, typically lead-acid batteries or utility grid, is always needed. In climate of Central Europe, the short and deep changes of radiation are common during the summer months. In this case, the energy storage build with supercapacitors can mitigate the rapid power fluctuations, providing energy with a stable power level from the photovoltaic generator for a long time during the day. The paper presents the guidelines for the short-time buffer dimensioning versus PV-generator nominal power and targeted load. The simulation is based on solar radiation data from Poland, measured with 5 s time resolution.