German firm Solarwatt has begun trials of a residential lithium-ion (nickel manganese cobalt) energy storage system in the UK and Ireland.
Two Solarwatt distribution partners have installed the MyReserve 4.4kWh scaleable ESS in homes ahead of a planned April launch.
MyReserve allows homeowners to store up to 8.8kWh of renewable energy. The battery modules can be scaled up in increments of 2.2kWh.
Solarwatt says its MyReserve500 has an efficiency of 96% round-trip in best point and 93% in full cycle.
The system uses a ‘buck converter’ to convert energy from solar modules at 550V DC, to 50V to allow it to be stored in the battery, which uses cells from a South Korean supplier.
Dscharged energy is converted back to 550V by a ‘boost converter’, and changed from DC to AC via another inverter.
Pol Spronck, international sales manager at Solarwatt, told BBB: “The primary application is increasing electricity self-consumption (reducing use of grid-supplied electricity), thus lowering costs, at the same time reducing carbon emissions. “
MyReserve can store electricity generated during the day for use during peak-consumption times rather than transferring power to and from the grid.
Spronck said the trials were important as the company had to make sure everything worked 100% in a new country before officially launching the product.