Panasonic Partners With Energy Companies For Solar Storage

Panasonic plans to target utilities rather than selling directly to consumers, according to Katsufumi Miyamato, an official in charge of the project, Bloomberg has reported.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics last year found that one in five Australian households use solar power of some form, with the market having growing significantly since 2011.

Panasonic states that modelling for the Australian market shows the system could increase the self-consumption rate of solar generation from 30 per cent up to as much as 60 per cent, with the battery technology storing excess electricity generated during the day by solar panels.

The intention is to provide a reliable, efficient baseload for solar-installed households during peak periods, with Panasonic stating that once fully charged from the day’s sun, its storage battery produces a 2 kW output for four hours, with a total 8 kWh usable capacity.

Panasonic’s residential storage battery system employs lithium-ion battery technology designed to maximise the benefit of residential photovoltaic energy, and also includes a programmed charge/discharge, remote control charge/discharge and an emergency back-up feature.

Panasonic will run pilot projects with ActewAGL, Red Energy and Ergon Energy to install its battery technology in solar-installed homes.

The pilot projects will be implemented in a selected zone of customers with solar-installed households in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Queensland, with Panasonic’s residential energy storage system to be used to complete the analysis.

Bloomberg has reported that sales will begin in October after a feasibility study is conducted.

“Over the 10-year plus life cycle of the battery, our modelling is showing a significant reduction in the reliance of Australian households on the grid during peak periods,” Panasonic Australia managing director Paul Reid commented.