One Step Off The Grid
Sungrow, which already claims around 10 per cent of the Australian solar inverter market, said on Tuesday that its PowCube Residential Energy Storage System (ESS) was now shipping to Australia, alongside its Next Generation Crystal Inverter Series.
The company said the 4.8kWh lithium-ion battery was part of a suite of new residential products including single and dual maximum power point tracker (MPPT) inverters between 2-5kW, and a 5kW Hybrid Inverter.
The PowCube is the latest in a spate of smaller-sized battery storage units, which appear to be targeting the nearly 2 million Australian households that have already installed solar, and might be considering adding storage.
Chinese battery giant, BYD, for example, recently unveiled a slightly updated range of modular “solar batteries” targeting the Australian market, which it says have higher usable energy and high discharge power.
The battery modules start at 3.5kWh (up form 2.5kWh), and can be stacked up to 14kWh. Beyond that – for bigger residential and smaller commercial projects – the 14kWh battery stacks, or boxes, can then be “daisy chained” together in groups of three to get 42kWh.
According to the Sangro, the PowCube 4.8kWh battery, which can also be installed in multiples, features high reliability and safety with prismatic cells from Samsung and over 95 per cent depth of discharge to maximise its usable capacity
The battery can be remotely monitored via an app and web portal, and also features “smart hibernation” technology to maintain battery state of health.
On cost, the company said the recommended retail price for the PowCube (including the 4.8kWh battery and a hybrid inverter) is $A5,800, not including installation.
“Featuring the next generation hybrid inverter, PowCube Residential ESS offers a high performance, flexible storage solution with simple online management and smart hibernation for enhanced safety,” Sungrow said.
Like many other global battery and inverter makers, Sungrow sees Australia a key market, with its strong residential and commercial solar uptake likely to be followed by a mass uptake of battery storage by homes and businesses.
“This is a pivotal moment in Sungrow’s global expansion,” said the head of the company’s Australian branch, Benson Jiao.
“Australia is a strategic market for Sungrow and we are well poised to leverage our international leadership position as we continue to build out our diversified product portfolio.”
To back this up, Sungrow will offer strong local tech support for its products, via a team of around 18 staff, and a local network of service and repairs depots around Australia.
This article was originally published on RenewEconomy’s sister site, One Step Off The Grid, which focuses on customer experience with distributed generation. To sign up to One Step’s free weekly newsletter, please click here.
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