Do we have a grant from the goverment if we install the smart battery?
In the UK, the government is not currently giving any grant towards installing smart battery.
Grants are available under certain circumstances for the Republic of Ireland, get in touch and we can explain this to you
What is a smart battery?
A smart battery is a rechargeable battery pack with battery management system used to store free or cheap electricity from any form of renewables generation or AC power supply.
Do we lose our ROCs payment?
Our battery is installed behind the meter and does not impact on your ROC’s payment
How long will the battery last?
The manufacturer’s warranty is for 10 years or 10,000 cycles, the useful life of the battery is between 15 – 25 years.
What is a cycle?
A cycle is when the battery goes from empty to full and back to empty again. Typically a battery will cycle between once and three times per day.
Who is the warranty with?
The manufacturer’s warranty is with sonnen GmbH directly. sonnen GmbH is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. sonnen offers a 10-year Full Warranty on all its components, this means that your investment is protected for 10 years or 10,000 cycles, whichever comes first. During the warranty period, all components of your sonnenBatterie are covered: the inverter and all power electronics, the energy manager and the battery modules. Even the sonnenProtect comes with a 10-year warranty.
Do I need solar panels?
No, any form of renewables generation will benefit from installing smart battery.
The battery can draw energy from any renewable source, such as a wind turbine, hydro turbine or an anaerobic digester.
What does the eclipse colour on the front of the device tell you?
BLUE = The battery is working normally. You don’t need to do anything!
ORANGE = The sonnenBatterie does not have an internet connection. Please check your internet connection and if the issue persists please contact our technical support line.
RED = There is an issue with your sonnenBatterie. Please contact our technical support line.
GREEN = The sonnenBatterie is not grid connected. There is a power outage. Check that the circuit breaker in the supply line of the storage system is switched on. If so, the grid is out and you can only wait until the normal grid supply resumes again. Thereafter the storage system resumes normal operation.
With sonnenProtect
GREEN = The sonnenBatterie is not grid connected. There is either a power outage or a fault, please contact our technical support line.
ORANGE = The sonnenProtect has reached peak output.
Can I charge my electric vehicle with your battery?
Absolutely, one of our customers is charging his Toyota Prius and travelled 1000 miles but only used 147 units of carbon-free electricity from his solar PV and energy storage systems.
How can I invest to save?
If you have already invested in solar PV or other renewables including wind but you still need to purchase from the grid every day, then the Electric Storage Company may be able to help you by installing a smart battery. We can help you recover the cost of your investment within the life of the 10 year-warranty, the useful life of the battery is between 15 – 25 years.
Are smart batteries safe?
The Electric Storage Company is only using devices manufactured by sonnen GmbH, that have a proven safety design and a tried and tested record in the German, Australian and US markets.
The battery chemistry of our devices is absolutely safe. The battery uses Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 or LFP chemistry, this is one of the most stable forms of lithium battery available and does not catch fire even under mechanical damage. We have a video of one of our batteries being tested to destruction on our website, we recommend you watch it if you have concerns. Watch the battery nail test video HERE
Is it difficult to operate?
Our system requires no user intervention. It is truly plug and play. We will provide you with an app for your smartphone or access via the website direct. Users can use the app to understand their electricity usage and to see the performance of the system. Maintenance-free, the devices are all monitored remotely and if defects arise, more often than not, they are fixed remotely.
When you go on holiday your battery will continue to monitor and provide electricity as needed. If your battery becomes fully charged while you are away, the surplus electricity being generated will go to the grid as it always has done
What happens if there is a problem?
Your system will be monitored constantly, and potential problems identified before they affect you. Additionally, your battery has its own industry leading warranty.
Upon completion of your installation you will be given our technical support line which will put you in direct contact with ourselves at The Electric Storage Company. We will facilitate getting your system back online should any problem arise. This is a free service and only requires you to have a network connection.
Can you upgrade the capacity of your battery at a later date?
Yes, you can. The system is modular meaning upgrading and expanding is easy to do, and more storage capacity can be purchased from The Electric Storage Company.
An extra battery can be added easily, and the system recalibrates itself to make use of the extra capacity up to a maximum on 45kWh on the series 9. The cabinet used to contain the series 9 battery modules come in three sizes and each size allows a different maximum kWh capacity (series 9 = 2.5kWh-5kWh, 2.5kWh-10kWh, 2.5kWh-15kWh), ideal for domestic homes and small commercial spaces.
You can get from 5.5kWh up to 247kWh on the sonnen 10, making it the ideal solution for domestic homes, community centres, churches and small to medium sized commercial organisations. We will discuss specific needs in more detail as part of the free assessment.
Have NIE Networks approved this?
NIE Networks have supported this research so they can understand the impact of small scale electrical energy storage on their network. They do not approve any new devices or technology until they understand the implications for the network, their customers and the wider public. They are working with our project to develop that understanding. They also work with other projects.
Is there an application process?
An application will need to be made to NIE to test that your location on the grid is suitable for this initial test, this will be completed by us on your behalf once you have given us approval.
How long does installation take?
Standard installation typically takes around 4-5 hours
Can I put the battery outside or in roof space?
The sonnenBatterie 8 and 9 series must be installed inside though it can be installed in a garage or purpose-built storage room, sonnen 10 can be installed outside with a rating of IP54, some additional protection may be required.
Roof spaces are not recommended for installation due to the weight of the device and heat build-up in the summer months. An internet connection is required to enable the smart battery to operate correctl
How does the smart battery compare with others?
The device we use is manufactured and supplied in Germany by sonnen GmbH. It uses a Lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry instead of the Lithium-ion nickel manganese cobalt oxide battery typically used in electric vehicles. Our device has been designed for the home from the outset. The sonnenBatterie comes with the experience of 40,000 installed systems.
PowerOn Technologies Ltd (Company Reg: NI643146) t/a The Electric Storage Company