The potential for a widespread distribution of energy has gathered pace. As homeowners have adopted (mainly) solar power that can feed into the Grid, energy has become less of a centralised commodity, but it is with the arrival of effective domestic electricity storage that real change can be realised, opening up the options of total self-sufficiency or even the future prospect of peer-to-peer energy retailing.

The most recent addition is the Powervault 3, which has the advantage of being modular, enabling homeowners to increase capacity within their homes, increasing the amount of electricity they are able to store, and feed back to the grid – even charging during off-peak periods and contributing during peak times to load balance – and as such the system can be effective even if not connected to any form of energy generator.

Having already won the first commercial flexibility contract with UK Power Networks earlier this year, Powervault will be installing 40 Powervault 3 systems in homes in London and, using its intelligent GridFLEXTM platform, will relieve constraint on the local electricity network during peak times this winter.

In fact, there are two Powervault 3s using either lithium-polymer cells or the eco option that uses recycled lithium-ion cells from Renault and Nissan’s electric vehicles. Both use a hybrid inverter, enabling customers to connect the batteries direct to their solar panels and avoiding the use of an expensive dedicated solar inverter.

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