Solar storage technology has completely taken off worldwide and more and more manufacturers globally are rolling out their own battery solutions.
Anna Gretz from Swell Energy has prepared for SeeNews Renewables a simplified guide to home batteries, including essential stats for several current and up-and-coming models. The chart below gives information on the price, availability, and compatibility of the product, while per-product comments by Gretz are available further down.
| Product |
LG Chem |
Sonnen |
Tesla Powerwall |
Orison |
Mercedes |
| Type |
Li-ion |
LFP |
Li-ion |
Li-ion |
Li-ion |
| Available in |
California, Hawaii |
US, Europe, Australia |
Unknown |
Europe |
| Coming to US |
Now |
Now |
Summer 2016 |
Estimated Q4 2016 |
Estimated Q1 2017 |
| All-in-one unit |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Compatible w/ existing solar |
Yes |
Yes |
Not at this time |
Not integrated with solar |
Unknown |
Usable capacity
per unit |
6-18 kWh |
4-16 kWh |
6.4 kWh |
2 kWh |
2.5-20 kWh |
| Max continuous power |
3.2 or 5 kW |
4-8 kW |
3.3 kW |
1.8 kW |
1.2-9.6 kW |
| Location |
Indoor/ outdoor, wall-mount |
Indoor, ground-
mount |
Indoor/
outdoor, wall-mount |
Indoor, free-
standing |
Indoor; floor-mounted |
| Cycle life |
4,000 |
10,000 |
3,650 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Intelligent energy mngmt |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Unknown |
| Avg retail price |
$11,500 / $4,600 |
$10,000 /$ 4,000 |
$10,500 / $4,200 |
$1,950 / NA |
Unknown |
| Avg USD/kWh for base model |
$1,900 |
$2,500 |
$1,640 |
$1,000 |
Unknown |
Each Solar Battery in a Nutshell
For households that already have solar panels installed, the LG solar battery is considered the best bang-for-ones-buck. The LG solar battery allows for outdoor placement, which is great for households with limited indoor space. Another big advantage is the E-Gear energy management controller, a smart technology that comes with the LG solar battery. The E-Gear controller gives complete visibility and control into the use, generation, and storage of energy.
Designed in Germany, the Sonnen solar battery is a good choice for new and existing solar installations and has over 10,000 systems installed in Europe. The intelligent energy management controller and 10,000 cycle life make it a long-lasting, versatile option capable of any conceivable use.
Tesla’s Powerwall solar battery is a great choice for new solar installations. Unfortunately, it is not currently compatible with existing solar installations. Its slim design and its ability to be located outside makes it an attractive option for many new or non-solar customers. It lacks the intelligent energy management controls of other systems, but provides basic backup power and time-of-use shifting.
The Orison solar battery is the first truly plug-and-play home battery system: there is no professional setup required. However, it is currently in prototype stage, is not yet proven in the field. Like many Kickstarter products, whether and when it comes to market is still to be determined. Unlike systems that require professional installation, the Orison cannot backup your whole house and is limited to just one circuit.
Like Tesla, Mercedes is leveraging its expertise in the Electric Vehicle industry to bring a home battery to market, starting in its home country of Germany. The system is similar in architecture and functionality to the Tesla, but will not likely be available until early 2017 in the United States.
Anna Gretz writes for Swell Energy's blog, The Swell. Swell Energy (www.swellenergy.com) is a group of energy nerds in California with a dream of energy independence for everyone.
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