Energy Storage as a Tool to Increase the Security and Energy Efficiency of Household Electricity in North-Western Poland in the Sustainable Management of Micro-Installation Potential

Small-scale prosumer installations are playing an increasingly important role in the Polish electricity sector. These primarily include photovoltaic systems and heat pumps installed for internal use. Noticeable losses for individual investors, generated by the power flow mechanism during peak production hours (connection to the grid) and peak demand (drawback from the grid), as well as the issue of fluctuating grid capacity and the observed redispatch procedures for photovoltaic installations, are driving increased interest in equipping home energy installations with energy storage systems, strengthening the aspect of sustainable energy development in this dimension. The impact of energy storage on investment motivation and the actual effects of incorporating it into home energy installations have not yet been sufficiently researched, particularly in Poland. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the use of energy storage in home installations as a socio-technical direction of power development at the micro level, in light of the constantly increasing energy demand observed worldwide in line with the challenges of sustainable development. The results of a survey of 206 individual users of power installations equipped with energy storage systems in Poland were used for this study. The research was qualitative and quantitative in nature, with descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model used in the in-depth section, and the findings were supported by PQStat software. The research revealed that the selection of energy storage systems in home power grids is related to the potential for prosumer optimization. On the other hand, they are seen as a path towards increasing energy security at the household level. Supporting this direction of installation development at the micro level is a justified concept for the development of green energy in Poland, socially and environmentally beneficial as well as economically justified, i.e., in line with the trend of sustainable development. The information campaign, combined with financial support for this type of investment, should be continued and strengthened in Poland.