Future energy sources in our homes and businesses will be a combination of rooftop solar, battery storage and power delivered by the local utility. Reliable and affordable battery storage has — to date – limited this vision to just solar and utility power. But battery storage systems have been improving rapidly, both in terms of up-front costs and overall performance. Get that image of 10,000 little AA batteries powering the new Mercedes AA class car out of your mind. Rather, envision an easy-to-install turnkey energy storage appliance designed to match up with existing and new solar installations.
To help bring solar installers up to speed on commercially available residential battery storage systems, the team at Cinnamon Solar has scheduled a series of hands-on reviews of commercially available energy storage systems. Reviews are based on the installation and usage of each system using commercially available products and software, provided by manufacturers. The intent is to provide useful real-world experiences to installers, home owners and manufacturers as Behind the Meter (BTM) battery storage systems become more popular.
The Enphase Storage System is a modular AC coupled battery storage system designed for residential customers with and without grid-tied solar power systems. Each modular battery is comprised of a 1.2 kwh lithium iron phosphate battery and 280-watt inverter in a 55 pound indoor-rated wall mounted enclosure.
The Enphase Storage System is ideal for customers who want to store locally generated solar energy or inexpensive grid energy so that this energy can be consumed during peak electric periods, thereby reducing electricity energy charges. Key benefits of the Enphase system are that the equipment is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Since the system is AC coupled it does not require a PV system to operate, and is compatible with the entire installed base of grid-tie PV systems. Note that the Enphase AC Storage System does not provide backup power.
The simplicity and modular nature of the Enphase Storage System make it one of the most straightforward systems to design (with the Enphase AC Battery Sizing Tool), install (with the Enphase Installer Toolkit phone app), operate (with the Enlighten web portal) and maintain. Enphase is an established solar equipment supplier with a reputation for delivering good product and service quality.
For more about the Enphase Storage System, listen up to this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World.