The solar panel industry is growing as many businesses and
homeowners are buying them to install on their rooftops. There are new startups coming on the scene with the sole purpose of creating products and services
relevant to energy storage technology. When creating your own energy storage,
you can create and store energy during the daytime sunlight hours and bank it
for nighttime use. If you have more energy than you can use, you can send it
back to the grid and get paid for it.
Smart Energy Systems
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| Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
There are several companies jumping into this solar
industry. One of them is PROSOL Invest Deutschland, which presented its
lithium-ion battery system in a U.S. solar trade event in San Francisco this
year. The unique feature of this system is that it includes a wireless
communication device that controls up to three home appliances. The
communication control panel has the capability of interfacing with appliances
that are connected via a Z-Wave plug. A small touch screen displays current
solar energy production as well as how much is being consumed. So far the
company has sold more than 1,200 systems in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
The CEO of PROSOL is referring to it as a smart system rather than a backup
power system, because of its flexibility and added functions.
Government Incentives
Many solar manufacturers are marketing solar panels that can
be paired with the electrical grid, but due to costly components they are still
out of the reach of most homeowners. Batteries are very expensive, so in order
to provide an incentive certain governments, such as Germany, are offering
rebates and low interest loans to offset a portion of the initial cost and
installation of the energy storage systems. Japan began an energy storage
rebate plan following the Fukushima nuclear leak in 2011 and California is
investigating adding energy storage to wind and solar energy generation.
Hopefully the prices will become attractive and more
homeowners can enjoy the savings and flexibility of creating and storing their
own energy.
