Shell buys Sonnen | Cheaper Solar Batteries?

Shell buys sonnen: German solar battery company Sonnen has been bought out by global giant Shell for an undisclosed sum. The purchase is still subject to regulatory approval but let’s take a look at what we can expect from this situation.

Shell buys Sonnen

sonnenProtect aka Sonnen Protect 1300/2500 (source: sonnen)
Shell Buys sonnen – sonnenProtect 1300/2500 (source: sonnen.com)

Mark Gainsborough, executive vice-president of Shell New Energies, discussed the purchase: “Sonnen is one of the global leaders in smart, distributed energy storage systems,” he said.

“Full ownership of Sonnen will allow us to offer more choice to customers seeking reliable, affordable and cleaner energy.”

Shell New Energies was founded in 2016 to ‘advance the company’s interests in electricity, as well as biofuel and hydrogen’.

According to the ABC, sonnen’s new location in Adelaide will reap benefits: the local workforce is expected to expand by 430 jobs this year. This is part of sonnen’s plan to build 50,000 battery systems over the next five years.

sonnen CEO Christoph Ostermann said the investment will help the company scale faster and will also have a greater good in terms of energy tech:

“Shell will help drive the growth of Sonnen to a new level and help speed up the transformation of the energy system,” he said.

Ars Technica are reporting that the company have over 40,000 batteries installed worldwide – in Germany, the US, Australia, and more. 

Shell last week confirmed they will extend New Energies into the Australian domestic market – which includes the construction of a 120MW solar project in Queensland – so this is a great step forward for him. 

More News about sonnen in Australia

sonnen have quite a lot of history providing solar power in Australia – it remains to be seen what the Shell takeover will mean for the area, but in the meantime here are some other news articles about sonnen in Australia:

 

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SonnenBatterie Eco 8 vs Tesla Powerwall

German solar company sonnen have been in the news quite a lot recently – they’ve gained 13% of the Australian solar battery market since entering it in 2016 – selling over 11,000 battery units. One of their best selling solar batteries is the SonnenBatterie Eco 8.2 – we’re going to take a look at it today and see how it stacks up against the more popular offerings like the Powerwall 2. Sonnen have sold over 10,000 of these units and have 75% of the market in Germany – the Eco 8 is the eighth iteration of a supremely powerful and mature battery. Let’s learn more:

SonnenBatterie Eco 8.2

sonnenBatterie Eco 8 Australia
sonnenBatterie Eco 8 Australia (source: sonnen)

It’s not suitable for outdoor use (only IP21 rated) and wasn’t previously off-grid compatible, but the Sonnen Eco is now available with automatic blackout/backup power option (sonnenProtect 1300). IT has a 1.3kW total load limit so it won’t run your reverse cycle air con and dishwasher, but is suitable for less intensive appliances like energy efficient fridges, lamps, laptops, fans, chargers, and so on.  It was crazy that sonnen thought it was okay to release a premium solar storage battery without this option, but I digress…click here to read the sonnenProtect 1300 Specifications and datasheet.

Here are some of the of the sonnen Eco specifications:

  • 2-16kWh capacity (modular design which increases in 2kWh increments).
  • Easy to retrofit to your existing panels.
  • Compatible with all panels.
  • 10year / 10,000 cycle warranty.
  • 2.5 cycles per day (2.5x ‘value’ and faster payback).
  • Inverter included.
  • Online management with ‘self learning algorithm’ (automatically decides the best times to charge and supply).
  • Proper UPS and automatic blackout protection with SonnenBatterie Protect 1300.
  • Reliable supplier who has been making these batteries since 2008.

After more technical info? Click here to read the sonnenEco Datasheet.

SonnenBatterie vs Tesla Powerwall

This is a real battle of the premium energy storage giants – you can certainly get systems for less but if you want the best it’s Powerwall vs. SonnenBatterie.

The Powerwall 2 and the SonnenBatterie eco are both ‘fully integrated’ systems – which means the unit included inverter, all the power components, and software. They’re both AC coupled – so you’re able to connect microinverters or string inverters to either of them if you so desire.

As mentioned previously, the Eco is only for indoor installation but the Powerwall can be installed outside.

They both have 10 year warranties but the Eco 8 is also covered for 10k cycles – the Powerwall, by comparison, only offers 3,650 cycles.

The Sonnen Eco comes in 8 different sizes, but the comparable model to the Powerwall (14kWh) is currently a little more expensive than the Powerwall. How much, it depends on who you talk to – but if you’re interested in getting a quote then look below:

Buy SonnenBatterie in Australia

If you want to buy a SonnenBatterie and you’re located in Australia, please fill in the form to the right and we’ll help you get the system installed by a qualified professional, at a great price.

If you’re interested in watching some promotional videos about the product, then please watch this video below to learn more about the sconnenBatterie eco direct from sonnen themselves:

Watch this video to learn more about sonnenBatterie and energy independence:

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Sonnen / Bristile Roofing to offer Solartile in Australia.

Some big news on the solar roof front this week – German battery storage company Sonnen have partnered with Australian roofing company Bristile Roofing to offer their Tesla Solar Roof competitor, the Solartile, to Australian markets this September.

Sonnen and Bristile Roofing Launch Solartile in Australia

Sonnen and Bristile Roofing’s concept of an integrated solar tile is in direct competition to Tesla’s Solar Roof, which has just begun taking orders for a 2018 launch. Bristle, part of the building materials group Brickworks, is mainly going to target the 102,000 new homes to be constructed in Australia in 17/18; it seems that they’ll be targeting developers and builders who are looking to offer integrated solar systems as part of their product range.

In an industry (solar + storage) which grew over 1000% in 2016, there’s plenty of room for competition and we’re excited to see what Sonnen’s reliable and proven solar battery solutions can bring to this partnership.

“We are delighted to partner with Bristile because of their prominent involvement in supplying quality products to the building industry,” said Sonnen Australia managing director, Chris Parratt, last Thursday.

You can read more about the SonnenBatterie Eco 8.2 battery system (this, or a variation of, will be offered as part of the solar roof system) on our solar battery comparison page.

Solartile Release Date, Preorder and Cost

No word yet on the cost of the Solartile – it’s set to be released this September and we assume that preorder will become available over the coming months. Please watch this space as we’ll update it as soon as we have any information about the Solartile preorder available!

SonnenBatterie Australia Solartile Battery
SonnenBatterie Australia Bristile

Solartile VS Tesla Solar Roof

Tesla, which has previously claimed the tiles would be no more expensive that a regular roof, released statistics showing that a ‘typical homeowner’ can expect to shell out approximately $US21.85 per square foot for the Tesla Solar Roof (assuming 35% ‘active’ tiles).

Prices and specifics are yet to be revealed for the Bristile Solartile but we will update as soon as they become available.

If you want to calculate how much your home would cost to fit out with the Tesla Solar Roof based on current figures, please use the widget below.

Solartile / Tesla Solar Roof Price Estimate

Enter your roof size below in square metres and get a price estimate for the Tesla Solar Roof. We’ll update this for the Solartile as soon as figures are available.


Estimated Cost:

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