E.ON to partner with SOLARWATT to develop electricity storage systems
Effective immediately E.ON will develop its own electricity storage system in partnership with Dresden-based SOLARWATT GmbH, which last year successfully launched an award-winning electricity storage system called MyReserve. The first E.ON models will be rolled out in Germany in a few months and will be available in increasingly larger numbers going forward.
The storage devices will be easy to install and, thanks to their modular design, easy to expand to increase capacity at any time. They will efficiently store electricity generated by a home solar system and therefore help customers permanently reduce their electricity costs. The storage system will come with an energy app visualizing the production and consumption for the customer.
"An increasing number of our customers wants to become more energy autonomous. Together with SOLARWATT we can offer them a complete solution that fits their individual needs," E.ON Management Board member Bernhard Reutersberg said. "We aim to become a leading provider of electricity storage systems in Germany and to continually expand our palette of intelligent solutions for our customers."
For several years now, SOLARWATT has marketed intelligent, complete solar systems that enable residential and small-business customers to generate their own electricity and heat. "Our cooperative arrangement with E.ON is an important milestone for SOLARWATT. Earning the trust of Germany's largest energy supplier indicates the success of our product innovation, which has taken us from being a manufacturer of solar modules to being a provider of system solutions," SOLARWATT principal owner Stefan Quandt said. Managing Director Detlef Neuhaus added that "we're very proud that our smart, economical energy systems and high-quality products gave E.ON the confidence to forge a partnership with us."
The cooperative arrangement with SOLARWATT is another example of E.ON's resolute focus on the new energy world, which is characterized by renewables, distributed generation, energy efficiency, microgrids, and increasingly autonomous and proactive customers.
Storage has enormous market potential
The potential for electricity storage devices in Germany is enormous. In just a few years nearly 100 percent of solar arrays may be sold with a storage device. In addition, the country's more than 1.5 million existing solar arrays offer huge potential for retrofitting with storage devices.
Why are storage devices needed?
A big power station generates electricity around the clock. But a solar panel's output varies with the amount of sunshine. It typically reaches its highest level on cloudless days around noon, when the sun is at its zenith. By contrast, families typically consume the most electricity in the morning and the evening. An electricity storage device bridges this gap by storing electricity when it is produced and discharging it when families need it to power lights, appliances, and home entertainment systems. Storage devices make renewable energy more flexible and reduce the amount of electricity that customers have to import from the grid, thereby reducing their energy costs.
