SOLARWATT is building its presence in the UK and Ireland with solar and storage solutions that enable households and small businesses to build energy independence and control fuel costs while protecting the environment. The leading German solar pioneer hosted its first one-week international training programme at its Dresden HQ for specialists from Britain and Ireland in November, before making first deliveries of MyReserve.
Meanwhile, MyReserve has been voted the top photovoltaic storage brand 2017 in Germany in a survey of installers. The study by the prestigious EuPD Research consultancy found SOLARWATT the best-regarded brand in solar energy, while its modules were awarded top photovoltaic brand for Europe. More than 600 installers in Europe and 100 in Australia were surveyed for EuPD’s Global PV Installer Monitor survey. SOLARWATT scored above average on brand awareness, recommendation and distribution.
Extensively safety-tested and certified by the accredited testing institutes TÜV and Cetecom, MyReserve also won the prestigious ees award 2015 in the electrical energy storage category.
MyReserve is being trialled by established SOLARWATT distribution partners BHC Distributors in Ballycastle and Wind & Sun, Leominster at households and a business, to gauge customer response, confirm MyReserve works optimally in the UK and Ireland in a business and domestic setting, and identify and address any issues.
High-performance battery storage is expected to create huge demand for renewable energy technologies in homes and small businesses. Significantly safer, more efficient and cost-effective than comparable systems, MyReserve is installed directly between the solar plant and inverter, minimising conversion losses, and is compatible with all conventional PV inverters.
Compact construction, modular design and a maximum weight of 25kg for individual components and 78kg total mean MyReserve can be installed easily by one technician. The configuration is not only very stylish, it also enables simple plug-and-play extension, with additional battery modules of 2.2 kWh each potentially bringing an 8.8kWh total storage capacity.
James Ford, a member of Wind & Sun’s technical team, said: “Apart from a few small teething problems that are to be expected when trialling the first system in a new country, we are delighted with the result. We have installed the battery on our own office and warehouse to really put it to the test. Although faced with a complex three-phase scenario with high peaks in generation and consumption, this system has performed exactly as promised. MyReserve was very quick to install, it took just one person to get it on the wall, and there are no complex programming steps. Beyond that the system takes care of itself!
“I believe that the Solarwatt MyReserve sets a benchmark for safety standards and design for maximum lifespan that the whole UK energy storage market should be adopting.”
Pearse McHenry, Managing Director of BHC, added: “We’ve long said MyReserve is the best available but with its market-leading performance come real style and customer appeal.”
Pol Spronck, SOLARWATT’s International Sales Manager, said: “Trials are important as we need to make sure everything works 100% in a new country before officially launching the product. Take-up of SOLARWATT advanced dual-glass solar modules has been strong in the UK and Ireland, and we expect a great deal of interest in MyReserve. Our long-lasting modules, highest-efficiency storage and Energy Manager are all developed and overseen by our industry-leading experts and all produced in our own factories. Together, it is a concept that really works and ensures our customers receive the best from one single source.”
SOLARWATT is expanding following a substantial investment by Stefan Quandt, of the family that is the largest shareholder in BMW. All solar PV modules and MyReserve battery storage products are manufactured at the company’s facilities in Germany, so customers benefit from very attractive solar PV + storage packages.