The study shows that there is no economic advantage for individual households to be fully self-sufficient under current or future conditions, though in some cases the costs are on par with remaining on-grid. The researchers estimate that self-sufficiency will be economically feasible for 5% of Europe's 41 million freestanding single-family homes in 2050, if households are willing to pay up to 50% more than the cost of remaining fully grid dependent.
To identify regions and building types that are more amenable to self-sufficiency, the researchers compiled a database of homes across Europe and identified 4,000 homes that were representative of different regions in terms of architecture, household electricity demand, climate conditions, and the local economic framework. Then, the researchers designed optimal energy systems for each representative home that would fully cover electrical and thermal energy needs while minimizing costs.
Though becoming fully self-sufficient may not be economically advantageous, the researchers demonstrated that partial self-sufficiency -- where a building remains connected to the electricity grid but also invests in a photovoltaic system, heat pump, and insulation -- could lower household energy costs.
This study is unable to answer questions about how the expanding number of self-sufficient homes would impact electricity demand and electricity markets, but the researchers plan to address those topics in future.Chicago