Sonnen unveils lower-cost solar battery

The US unit of German energy storage specialist Sonnen GmbH today unveiled a new product for the US residential market in response to demand for a cheaper solar battery.

The 4-kWh sonnenBatterie eco compact is offered at up to 40% the cost of sonnen's other products, the company said. The fully integrated system including inverter, battery modules, smart energy manager and measurement technology retails for USD 5,950 (EUR 5,366) without installation.

"We've seen increasing demand from our installation partners for a lower cost energy storage product that enables homeowners to use more of the power generated by rooftop solar systems," commented Sonnen Inc chief executive Boris von Bormann.

The company said that demand for storing solar energy was growing rapidly due to the rise in solar installations and the end of net-metering in certain states.

The new product, "a simple, cost-effective version" of Sonnen's energy management technology provides grid-tied functions such as increasing household solar self-consumption, managing time-of-use and supporting grid services, not including backup power, the firm said. It can be expanded in 4-kWh steps up to 16 kWh.

More than 12,000 households globally have installed Sonnen's products, the company says.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.902)

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