Solar PV and heat pumps: combining electricity and heat
Sources checked
Solar PV and a heat pump can complement each other, but panels will not normally power the heat pump throughout winter. In the source's Bratislava model, 5 kWp facing south produces about 1,019 kWh from November through February, less than a sixth of its annual generation.
Compare coincident demand and generation
Use the heat pump's electrical consumption, rather than its nominal heating output, in the energy balance. Compare months and operating hours. The combination can be most useful for domestic hot water, milder seasons and controls that use available daytime production.
A year's PV output and a year's heat-pump consumption cannot establish how much of the latter will be supplied directly by solar.
Confirm how the equipment communicates
An SG Ready or similar input must be supported by the actual heat pump and linked to appropriate metering and control. A label on each device does not prove that the complete control arrangement works.
A hot-water tank can shift useful heat demand into solar hours; a battery shifts electrical energy but has its own cost and losses. Neither moves summer energy into winter. Retain the required heating capacity and backup energy source for the home's cold-weather needs.