8 kWh & 5.5 kWh Energy Storage Units Introduced By Samsung

Residential energy storage systems of 8.0 kWh and 5.5 kWh were recently introduced by Samsung SDI at Intersolar Europe 2015 in Munich, Germany. The two new systems were designed to work well with electricity generated by solar PV power, and they use lithium-ion batteries. There is a product warranty for 5 years and a performance guarantee for 10.

The same kind of battery Samsung has supplied for a grid-scale energy storage system in Schwerin, Germany, is used in the residential energy storage systems.

From the photo, the Samsung units appear to sit on a floor or other surface, which may appeal more to some consumers more than the wall-mounted Tesla energy storage products. Attaching a battery system to a wall is not at all a large undertaking, but some might prefer not having to do it, or paying someone else for the effort. On the other hand, the wall-mounted options may help to save space or use space more wisely. It depends on the individual circumstances, of course.

The energy storage world seems to have been quite jolted by Tesla’s announcement about its own battery systems — the Tesla Powerwall and Powerpacks. Mercedes just announced an energy storage product, and now this from Samsung. For sure, they were working on these products for a long time, but perhaps they rushed them to market after Tesla revealed it would be unveiling such a product (and did so before Mercedes and Samsung).

It’s an obvious point, but Samsung and Mercedes are not at all unknown startups trying to make names for themselves. They are well-established, global companies that are stable multinational corporations. Their brand recognition is very high and they have many resources at their disposal to work with in order to launch viable new products.

If you have been following the energy storage news for a while, you know that currently we seem to be in new territory with all the big announcements and new players publicly getting into the game. It will be fascinating to see how consumers respond, especially if solar panels continue to drop in cost. Also, how long will it take to go beyond the first-generation energy storage products, and when will we see their prices begin to decrease?

Image Credit: Samsung