Solar Battery growth rises in 2017.

Solar battery growth continues to rise exponentially – the huge rises in the price of electricity over the past 36 months have led to a record uptake in the number of Australian households opting to install solar batteries for energy storage. Although still in its relative infancy, the technology is being adopted at a rapid rate and there’s no doubt it’s only a matter of time before every house with solar power has some sort of solar battery installed. 

Solar Battery Growth

According to a solar energy report quoted in the Herald Sun, around 7,000 solar battery system were sold and installed across Australia in the first six months of the year, compared to 6,500 last year. Queensland leads the charge, with New South Wales and Victoria close behind. In a market that has already doubled in two years, there is still a way to go before we see solar batteries as ubiquitous in Aussie households, but things are heading in the right direction, and a lot faster than you may think!

Tesla Powerwall 2 Solar Battery Growth
Tesla Powerwall 2 – a catalyst for solar battery growth.

Volkswagen just announced they will spend $50b on energy storage battery technology for its new line of EV cars – there are whispers about the Tesla Powerwall 3 – what’s next for solar battery growth?

Solar Battery Comparisons

There are a lot of different options on the market right now – a bunch of people are still waiting until the technology ‘catches up’ but solar storage can already be quite affordable – with average costs between $4,000 and $13,000, depending on the size/brand you choose. The Herald Sun estimates that it will take approximately eight years for a solar panel + storage system to pay for itself – i.e. it’s not economically viable for everybody right now but depending on your individual circumstances it’s far from a pipe dream. With that said, prices are expected to drop by up to 30% over the next few years as production ramps up and advances in the technology are factored in. 

If you’re interested in doing some research about energy storage, we have a page about the Tesla Powerwall 2 and its alternatives and competitors – there are many options to choose from such as Fronius, BYD B-Box, Redflow, LG Chem, sonnenBatterie, Enphase, Eaton Nissan xStorage, and so on. Make sure you figure out exactly what you need (e.g. grid or off grid? If you’re on-grid do you want power in a blackout? How much power do you need)   and do your due diligence before committing to a system – and if you already have solar panels make sure the storage system and inverter will pair correctly – not all solar systems are created equal! If you have any questions feel free to give us an email or sound off in the comments below – we’d be happy to help.  

 

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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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