Daimler AG has commenced deliveries of Mercedes-Benz stationary energy storage units for use in private homes.
The lithium-ion batteries are being manufactured by the Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE and distributed through selected sales partners and partner companies.
At present, the company’s partners include the energy service provider Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW), the solar technology specialist SMA, as well as a number of wholesale traders. Their network of qualified specialist installers take care of providing the end customers with on-site advice, planning, compiling an individual quotation for all components and the actual installation.
Stationary battery storage units are generally installed together with a photovoltaic system. Some 500 installers throughout Germany have already undergone training in collaboration with the partners.
“There is tremendous interest in our energy storage units and we have already received numerous orders. Over the coming months, we will continue to expand sales both in Germany and on the international market,” remarks Harald Kröger, Head of Development Electrics/ Electronics and E-Drive Mercedes-Benz Cars.
Originally developed for the rigorous demands of automotive operation, the Mercedes-Benz energy storage units meet the very highest safety and quality standards. Up to eight battery modules with an energy content of 2.5 kWh each can be combined to produce an energy storage unit with a capacity of up to 20 kWh. Households with their own photovoltaic systems can therefore buffer surplus solar power with virtually no losses. By combining renewable energy sources with a local battery storage unit, private households can increase their self-consumption of generated energy to as much as 65 percent, thereby bringing about their own “private energy revolution”.
The retail price for home electricity generation is calculated based on a customised package of system components. These may comprise the photovoltaic system, battery inverter, energy management and the Mercedes-Benz energy storage unit, plus the cost of installation.
Daimler AG entered the stationary battery storage business in 2015 with its subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE and has been continuously expanding its activities in this growth segment ever since. The concept devised by Daimler Business Innovation provides for a variety of applications. The systems are scalable, meaning that the lithium-ion battery units can be employed both in large-scale industry and in private homes.
Three major projects centred on industrial energy storage solutions are already under development. Eventually, battery modules with a total capacity of over 29 MWh will be connected to the grid as part of this and marketed on Germany’s primary energy market together with specialist partners. The storage units serve to balance energy fluctuations in the German national grid. Further projects are already planned.
The stationary energy storage sector presents Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE with new opportunities for growth. In addition to this, Daimler AG is playing an active role in the energy revolution and continuing the success story of battery manufacturing in Germany. Daimler is systematically increasing its production capacities and investing some €500 million in the construction of a second battery factory at the Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE site in Kamenz. The new facility is due to be put into operation in summer 2017.
