In our last newsletter I mentioned that 2016 was going to be the year that energy storage really takes off and so I’m really pleased to say that so far this year nearly 30% of our new solar installations have been purchased with combined energy storage.  This is a massive increase on previous years.

There was a huge wave of excitement in the SunGift office when we received our first delivery of the much-anticipated Tesla Powerwall, a brand new home energy storage system. As it happens, our entire initial order of the Tesla Powerwalls was sold before the first one had even left our warehouse. This goes to show that we really are entering a new era of sustainable energy.

Tesla are not the only storage manufacturer that we have been working closely with.  In fact, other manufacturers have slightly different technologies which are suitable for a variety of different sites, both domestic and commercial. One of these is the Aquion saltwater battery, which is the only battery in the world to have full environmental certification by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

It’s perhaps unsurprising, with the powers that be’s current energy policy (or perhaps lack thereof), that people are lapping up the ability to generate their own energy and then use that energy as and when required. This increased self-sufficiency taps into some fairly basic human needs: to be in control, to be able to remove uncertainties and risks from your future and to feel secure in the knowledge that you will have increased control of your energy for years to come.

As if to demonstrate the power of this sea change, UBS recently downgraded the entire credit rating of the American electricity-generating sector, on the basis of the threat posed to it by the combination of solar energy and storage technologies now available.

If you would like to discuss your own energy storage options, contact us!