German Solar Power Storage System Prices Drop 25%
Originally published on Planetsave.
Prices for German solar power storage systems have reportedly fallen 25% since the spring. The data come from the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar).
Also according to BSW-Solar, approximately 15,000 German households now use battery storage combined with solar power, and that number has been growing faster and faster as the costs have come down. As an example of that, KfW, Germany’s development bank, approved 32% more funding applications for home storage in the third quarter of this year than in the second. Needless to say, I think word is getting around that this is a smart move for many now that storage costs have fallen.
“This is a nice Christmas present for the Energiewende, Germany’s energy transition, and for all operators of solar power systems. Affordable solar storage systems mean that operators can now fulfill their wish for more energy independence and can count on stable electricity prices in the long term,” says Carsten Körnig, Managing Director of BSW-Solar.
“Due to technological advances and growing demand, the average prices for battery storage systems have fallen by around 25 percent between the first and the second half of 2014,” the BSW-Solar press release states.
Solar power storage isn’t only growing in Germany, though. For sure, it is growing at a nice rate in Japan and Australia. Furthermore, the US solar + storage market is projected to see strong growth in 2015 and the following years. This is partly driven by the continued drop in solar power prices, but also a quick drop in battery storage prices.
SunPower and Sunverge just announced a US and Australia partnership to market solar and storage.
Read more here. And the full report, in German, is here.
Top Image: Germany solar rooftop via Shutterstock
Reprinted with permission.
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This is good news, I’m going to be looking to buy some home batteries in about a year and a half.
A careful use of battery backup plus grid electricity could be beneficial to both the consumer and power distribution entity, if some kind of synchronisation is done. Let me share my experience.
My monthly electricity consumption is on the lower side at about 90 kwh/ month. Over the past couple of months I an generating about 15 units of this from solar system. The important part is, my system provides this energy during peak demand time (It is from about 6.30 pm to 11 pm in our place) I am practically taking zero electricity from the state grid for an average of three hours during this peak time. Since my system size is small (200 wp panel, 800 va inverter and 120 ah battery), the system cost was affordable.
No mention in this article of who makes this battery storage, what chemistry it is or where it can be purchased??
Bosch makes it, it is lithium ferrous (lifepo4) it can be purchased in Germany and now in the U.S. having very recently arrived. It is outrageously expensive! Something like $13,000 for 5 kwh. It comes packaged with complete battery management system (BMS) and an inverter both ways. Balqon in las Angeles will sell you a 36 kwh lifepo4 with box and Bms but no inverter for $12,500. An inverter is maybe $2000. Go figger!
Thanks Vensonata,
guess we will have to wait for a greater price reduction.
yeah.. I’ve seen the prices for the BOSCH system here in Oz.. mind blowing what they ask for this at the moment.
At work I’m designing a little 10kWh energy storage system for some off-grid field site that needs 6kW over 24hours at 230Vac.. it’s going to be LFP and once I got the numbers I will post them, it will compare with a LAB system.
Could you spell out the acronyms, please? Some of us here are not fully up to speed with all those sorts of details, but are quite eager to learn. Thanks…
LFP .. Lithium Iron Phosphate (Battery)
LAB .. Lead Acid Battery
Also, it’s a one-of-prototype that I have to do as a DIY as commercial of-the-shelf-solutions are to pricey currently.. the info will mostly serve as a what-is-possible-now-for-what-$$$ kind of note for you guys – most won’t be able to DIY this.
Thanks. Hope the project goes swimmingly!
Thanks again, if you get a chance could you email me this?
bfearn@gmail.com
the internet provides solar and storage systems.
just take a look
Is it true that a solar panel produce the same energy in different sun conditions(a PV produce same energy in germany or in strong desert sun) ?
Ofcourse not.
Over a year a solar panel will produce about two thirds as much electricity in Germany as it would in an Australian city and a little more than half as much as it would in an Australian desert.
Thanks
That sounds about right. JuiceBox is looking forward to joining the market in mid 2015 with our grid interactive lithium-ion residential system for North America.
I’d like to empower any readers who don’t have experience with battery storage. Off grid people have used battery storage for decades. Here’s a few basics. Wet Lead acid deep cycle can reliably store electricity for about 16 cents kwh. They are not great efficiency wise, about 80%. They off gas explosive hydrogen and you need to replace the water every 2 or 3 months, they take up space but ok in a garage. Sound like fun? Next: sealed lead acid or AGM. No watering, no equalizing, tiny off gassing ( not dangerous) 25 cents kwh. Bulky…keep them in the garage. Higher efficiency 90% perhaps. Finally, lithium ferrous ( lifepo4) wunderbar! They are the new kid on the block…all ev these days use them. The German fancy pants packs by Bosch have to be at least 30cents kwh. Sane alternatives will happen this year. Lifepo4 are safe, light, small can be kept in your broom closet and have 3 times the lifespan of lead acid.
wet lead acid = incandescent light bulb
agm = compact fluorescent light bulb
Lifepo4 = l.e.d. Lightbulb
Interesting, 3 times the lifespan for lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) should offset the initial high price over longer term as well.
Prices have fallen without mentioning the prices. I don’t know, but it is hard to swallow articles like this.
So, what were the average initial and final prices? Curious mind is dying to know!
You know, this reminds me of the trick that department stores pulls upon us every time. First they increase their prices after midnight, then they announced they have a 25% discount and applied the discount tags by morning opening time. Suckers fall for this trick if they don’t know the prices.
The only way to decide is the price per kwh that you are willing to buy in at….then wait. Personally I am pleased at 15 cents kwh for storage. Lifepo4 at $350 kw for the whole system BMS and inverter installed gives you 15 cents kwh. Available now from balqon. Aquion very interesting saline battery available now from alte store for $500 kw gives 3000 cycles to 100% ….better than lithium! Cost per kwh 17 cents. So for me we are in the ballpark, especially if you are thoughtful with your electrical use. It is easy to use half the average home use and therefore pay about the same as grid price. It is also fairly easy to reduce by 75% and then you are laughing.
Anyone know what the lifespan of battery storage is these days? Are deep lead acid still 10-15 years if cared for followed by sealed AGM lasting 5-10 years? How long do the new systems last? 5, 10, 20 years?
Actually, measuring in years lifespan is a fairly handy way to think about it . Lots of battery sites do it that way. All the deep cycle battery manufacturers will also give you the cyle life vs discharge info eg. 1000 cycle to 80% 2000 cycles to 50% etc. all wet lead acid are not the same. The heavy duty crown battery or hup solar one give you 2100 cycles to 80%, 6 years at 1 cycle per day. 15 years at 30% depth of discharge…at $250 kw. Agm surrette ( which I use) will give you about half that, however they are about 15% more efficient round trip and zero maintenance. About$275 kw.
Lifepo4 will give you 3000 cycles to 80% discharge but they still have at least 2000 cycles left at about 30% discharge…they die slowly and nobly! So an easy 12 years.
Here is the bottom line in years. If sized for longevity and properly treated AGM 8 years, wet lead 10-15 years. Lifepo4 up to 20 years. Oops, forgot Aquion saltwater batteries…also up to 20 years, the strongest competitor to lifepo4. Look it up on AltE store.
Thanks for that summary…. I recall years back the Rolls Surrette lead acid were the kings of longevity… of course 24 of the 2volt ones cost more than the solar array…. I’d love to have a 100kw bank and only use up to half of it occasionally during power outages.. $$$$
If you are only going to use the battery bank occasionally then it can be safely discharged to 80% no problem…so you only need 65kw to get the same 50 kwh. Again the bank would last decades because of low cycle use. Cost? Wet lead that would suit your needs can be had for $125 kw. so 65 x125= $8125. Not bad. cables $150. inverter $2000. charger $500. So you are looking at $11,000 divided by 20 years. Maybe $500 year.
Battery backup is rather complex, most grid tie inverters assume a grid is present so they will pump out max power no matter what. When you add battery back up and the power goes out the solar inverter will keep forcing current into the backup unit which must absorb the energy. That can create some disastrous incompatibilities.
The only system I know of to handle this smoothly is the SMA line of inverters. You can start out with grid tie, then add their battery backup later. Just flip a software switch in the PV inverter telling it it’s behind a battery inverter and it can then be throttled back when the batteries are fully charged and demand is low.
That’s what did, started out with grid tie, then added battery backup a year later.