Germany-based SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA) has introduced Sunny Boy Storage, a high-voltage battery inverter for private households that enables the cost-effective and flexible integration of storage solutions into new or existing PV systems.
The company says this new product is the first AC-coupled inverter system designed for high-voltage batteries, such as the Tesla Powerwall.
"For end users, using a storage system means increasing independence from utility companies through increased self-consumption of the electricity they have produced themselves,’ says SMA's CEO Pierre-Pascal Urbon. ‘More and more people are doing this to save money on energy costs and to contribute to environmental protection.’
SMA asserts that combining the battery with Sunny Boy Storage makes it possible to store electricity at costs that are ‘comparable to German household electricity rates.’
According to Volker Wachenfeld, head of the off-grid and storage business unit at SMA, the system concept also enables integration into any system configuration. Thanks to AC coupling of the storage system and standardized interfaces, the system can be adapted to individual needs brought about by changes in living circumstances, such as the integration of an electric vehicle or changed energy demands, even after installation.
The first systems will be sold in March, first in Germany, and then in other storage markets, including Italy, the U.K., Australia and the U.S.
