Discover our complete guide to residential batteries, designed especially for installers like you.
BayWa r.e. presents you a selection of the best residential batteries we offer, along with effective sales arguments so that you can increase your sales and satisfy your customers. In addition, we share valuable tips on how to identify the minimum characteristics of a good battery, ensuring that you always offer the best option available. Get ready to boost your business by installing residential batteries among your customers.
The situation of PV self-consumption in Spain has changed radically in recent years. Sunlight has become the main source of energy during the central hours of the day, although the value of photovoltaic surpluses is reaching an all-time low, delaying the return on investment.
Considering the current market situation, we provide you with different sales arguments that you can use with your customers to encourage them to add a physical battery to their residential system.
Sales arguments
In the last two years, the price of batteries has been reduced by 30%, with better technologies and increased warranties of up to 15 years. Better product, better performance at a lower price.
The value of PV excess is plummeting. Their value could reach €0/kWh, compromising the rate of return on investment. Batteries help ensure that this investment remains profitable.
Electricity in non-solar hours is very expensive (>100 €/MWh) and transmission costs do not go down, affecting the final price paid by the user. Generating electricity on one's own roof is cheaper than importing and transporting electricity.
The price of electricity generation in the central hours of the day (10 am to 6 pm) is practically zero for a large part of the year. Make the most of this free energy by storing it for later use.
With stagnant electricity demand and more self-consumption of electricity, it is time to offer your customers the possibility to be self-sufficient.
In the last year, there have been fewer residential PV installations in Spain. The percentage of installations with batteries has also decreased significantly. Although the data show that there are more and more installations without batteries, after looking at the different sales arguments we have given, we conclude that the market for residential batteries is still to be exploited.
Choosing the right residential battery depends mainly on whether you are adding a battery to an existing PV system (retrofit) or installing a new system. Here I explain how to make the best decision in each case:
1. Retrofit (Existing System)
If you already have a PV system installed and are looking to add a battery, you have two main options depending on the type of inverter you use:
AC option (Alternating Current):
This type of battery is installed on the AC side. It is compatible with any PV system, regardless of the original inverter. This option is ideal if you want to keep your existing inverter without having to change it.
DC option (Direct Current):
These batteries are connected directly to the inverter, which allows for greater efficiency, as the solar energy is stored directly in the battery without going through an additional conversion stage. However, it is necessary that your inverter is compatible with DC batteries, as in the case of hybrid inverters.
2. New System
If you are installing a PV system from scratch, you have more flexibility to design an optimised system:
Battery from the same Manufacturer as the Inverter:
Some inverter manufacturers offer batteries specifically designed to work in conjunction with their inverters. This option ensures seamless integration and optimises system performance, as all equipment is designed to work together.
Manufacturer Battery Compatible with multiple Inverters:
You can also opt for a battery from a manufacturer that is compatible with various brands of inverters. This gives you more flexibility. Be sure to check compatibility with your inverter to avoid integration problems or loss of efficiency.
Regardless of which option you choose, we recommend that you opt for a hybrid inverter or a battery, and consider factors such as storage capacity, life cycle, warranty, and system efficiency to ensure that the battery fits your current and future energy needs.
The appropriate capacity for a residential battery depends on several factors, such as the energy consumption of the house, the size of the PV system, and the autonomy needs during non-sunny hours or power outages.
- Example: A 4-person household with an annual consumption of 8000 kWh.
- Recommended capacity: Contracted power 7kW. A battery of more than 10 kWh capacity and more than 5 kW output power is recommended.
- Use: Ideal for powering large appliances such as a refrigerator, heating system, and electronic devices during the night. It also provides some autonomy in case of short blackouts.
- To consider: Possibility to partially use the battery capacity for future remunerated business models (sale of energy). Increase in electricity consumption in the next 10 years (aerothermal, electric vehicles, etc.).
Factors to consider:
| Consumption patterns | If your consumption is higher at night or at specific times, you may need a battery with a higher capacity. |
|---|---|
| PV production | Make sure your solar system can generate enough power to fully charge the battery during the day. |
| Desired autonomy | If you are looking to minimise dependence on the grid, a higher capacity battery will be necessary. |
Below you will find a table with the features of the different batteries that you can find at BayWa r.e., as well as the different compatibilities with the inverters of the main manufacturers on the market.
If we consider the data provided by the APPA in its annual report on photovoltaic self-consumption, we can see how the situation of the residential battery market has evolved in 2023.
250k self-consumption installations in Spain are waiting for their batteries.
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