While it’s true the U.S. solar market has been buffeted recently by some companies’ extraordinarily public exits through bankruptcies, it is still attracting heavyweight companies to join it speaks volumes about how its fundamentals are viewed around the world.
The latest company to come to the United States? Mercedez-Benz Energy.
In an exclusive partnership with No. 2 national solar installer Vivint Solar, the German company will bring its the Mercedes-Benz customizable home energy storage system to homeowners around the country through a joint offering.
It’s the first time Vivint Solar will integrate batteries into its future installations. The company says it has currently installed more than 100,000 residential installations across the country. It’s also Mercedez’s first foray into the U.S. market.
“As Mercedes-Benz electrifies its vehicle fleet, solar plus storage is essential to enable those vehicles to be powered by clean energy,” said Boris von Bormann, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Energy Americas. “Our solution allows customers to take the next step toward a sustainable energy future.
“The launch of our home battery system in Europe has been successful and we are thrilled to be working to bring a reliable and compelling solar plus storage offering to American homes,” von Bormann added.
Though the power rating of the Mercedez battery system can depend on the power electronics specific to particular installations, but in general it is 0.5 C up to 4 battery units. So the power and energy ratings will start at 1.25 kW (2.5 kWH), and increase by 1.25 kW and 2.5 kWh, respectively, as additional battery units are added (though kW caps at 5 at four units. At eight units, the ratings will be 5 kW (20 kWh).
The modular nature of the system allows Vivint to customize systems specifically for each customer. In California – the first Vivint market to benefit from the new partnership – the units’ flexibility will allow homeowners to adapt more easily to the state’s new time-of-use electricity rates, by storing excess energy produced during the day and using it during periods of peak energy usage in the evening and at night when electricity rates are typically higher.
“We believe Mercedez’s energy storage system is going to delight our customers and are impressed with their ambitious plans for the future,” said David Bywater, CEO of Vivint Solar. “We look forward to bringing this innovative solution to consumers, beginning in our California markets.”
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