Sales of battery back-up solar systems for German home’s is expected to boom in the next four years – by a phenomenal 17 times. Germany recorded 6 000 units last year and are expected to have around 100 000 by 2018.

In May of last year Germany announced that it was adding subsidies for battery storage systems and many have assumed they will leave the global storage charge as they did when they announced feed-in tariffs for standard systems. Subsidies are currently set at around 30% of current battery storage costs. As we have seen with PV prices, it is expected that this push for energy storage will also help to drive down the prices and increase the technology behind battery storage systems – therefore increasing the amount of people that are able to live completely off the grid.

“A battery is the next logical investment for people who are owners of solar power installations and whose systems are coming to the end of their 20 year contract lifetime,” said Tobias Rothacher, Senior Manager Renewable Energies at Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), in reference to feed in tariff contracts.

“Most of these systems will still produce electricity even after their 20 year feed-in tariff period. The system owner can then decide if he wants to waste this electricity or if he wants to use his low-price electricity rather for himself by installing a battery system. We believe most people will decide for the latter.”

Germany’s “energiewende” last year announced finance programs in order in introduce battery storage in an effort to bring down the prices (they were a big contributor in the fall of solar module prices). According to RenewEconomy, ‘within six months of the program’s launch, 1,900 homes and small businesses had put their hands up for government loans and grants to install battery storage with solar systems at their homes. By November, around €32 million in loans had been allocated and €5 million in grants, about 10 per cent of the sums allocated in the initial phase of the program.’