Foreign residential energy storage case studies

What is a residential energy storage system?

Residential energy storage systems integrate various components including battery cells, modules, power conversion systems (PCS), software i.e., battery management systems (BMS) and energy management systems (EMS), and other balance of plant items.

Should residential storage providers invest in aggregation & energy trading?

The downstream areas of the value chain, such as aggregation and energy trading, remain a focus area for these residential storage providers looking to grow their business and extract value. Investments tend to be focused in this area, and storage providers without these capabilities are increasingly acquiring them.

Is residential storage a good idea in Europe?

The economics for residential storage in Europe are often poor without substantial subsidies like Italy’s Superbonus and tax credit schemes. However, many consumers in Europe are enthusiastic about the technology and keen to buy. Consumers are often put off by complicated installation processes, long wait times and poor customer service.

What are residential storage product features?

Residential storage product features depend significantly on the markets they are being sold in (Table 4). Providers typically offer much larger entry-level systems in the US and Australia, where the energy demand and typical customer-sited solar system size of an average home is larger than in Europe.

Are residential storage products commoditized?

Residential storage products have similar appearance regardless of brand, signifying the commoditization of these products. It is difficult for system providers to set themselves apart and grow brand awareness. This section summarizes and compares the main features that companies advertise for these products.

What chemistry is used in residential battery energy storage?

Battery chemistry The common choice for residential battery chemistry has changed over the years, with residential battery energy storage providers shifting from the use of lithium-ion batteries with nickel-based cathodes (nickel manganese cobalt or NMC, and nickel cobalt aluminum oxide or NCA) to lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries (Table 2).