Is SAM capable of incorporating electricity storage (batteries) when using PVWatts for residential systems? I was also curious where the "Losses" values are applied, particularly "soiling" -- is this reflected in the initial DC values, or applied when converted to AC?
No, the current version of SAM does not include an electric storage battery model. We plan to develop one for the detailed photovoltaic model later in 2015, but not for the PVWatts model.
For both the PVWatts and detailed photovoltaic models, SAM applies the soiling losses to the solar irradiance incident on the array. Those losses reduce the solar energy that reaches the array to be converted into DC electricity.
Best regards,
Paul.
