German battery storage maker Sonnen has flagged establishing manufacturing operations in Australia if the local market proves as strong as predicted.
Sonnenbatterie – the biggest selling battery storage product in Europe, with around 40 per cent of the market – recently expanded to the US, and this week announced the launch of its battery storage products in Australia.
The company has been selling small numbers of its battery storage technology in Australia for several years, but has established a base in Australia to coincide with the release of the 14th version of its Sonnenbatterie.
Sonnenbatterie is a modular system which starts at 2kWh and can be built up to 16kWh depending on customer needs.
It aims for the premium end of the market. Country director Chris Parratt says the price for an initial 2kWh will likely be around $A5,000, depending on installer charges, and around $12,000 to $13,000 for a 6kWh system.
Parratt says this is comparable with rivals like Tesla, and also seems to be in the ballpark of the package announced this week by Australian battery storage developer Redflow.
Parratt says the Sonnenbatterie package comes as a “plug-and-play”, meaning it includes the inverters and smart controls that allow the battery storage to integrate with rooftop solar, household appliances and the network. And it is easy to install.
The company had hoped to have a shipment of its batteries in Australia now, but better than expected sales in Germany, Italy and the UK exhausted its stock. Parratt says the stock should arrive in May.
© 2016 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
