Much of the dramatic growth of solar PV in recent years has been driven by rapidly falling costs, and now battery makers are feeling the heat to drive down costs in order to accelerate deployment.
German distributed battery market leader sonnen today showed significant progress in that regard, unveiling a new battery product for the U.S. market which it says represents a cost reduction of up to 40% over its other models.
The new fully integrated 4kWh sonnen eco compact system retails for $5,950, which includes the inverter, battery modules, smart energy manager and measurement technology. This price does not include installation.
The eco compact uses sonnen software to provide various functions, including increasing self-consumption, managing time-of-use and supporting grid services. The system does not supply backup power.
Sonnen notes that the system can be used to comply with self-consumption programs in Hawaii and other states by storing up to 100% of the output of a PV system.
“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,” explains sonnen Inc. CEO Boris von Bormann.
The eco compact can currently be pre-ordered, and Sonnen plans to begin shipping product by the fourth quarter of 2016.
sonnen is the largest supplier of residential battery systems in Germany and its products are installed in over 12,000 households globally.
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