Panasonic unveils new home battery in two sizes: big and bigger

Japanese multinational Panasonic has unveiled a new li-ion home battery storage product in the US market, a second take on the existing EverVolt offering in America that provides two new energy storage capacity options – big and bigger – and allows for AC and DC coupling.

The EverVolt 2.0 was launched on Thursday in the US as the latest addition to its Total Home Energy Solution offerings, with enhancements for greater customisation and a “convenient modular footprint and weatherproof design.”

The AC and DC coupling is new – previously there was an either-or option – allowing the batteries to work with both new and existing rooftop solar systems, with back-up power, on and off-grid. The EverVolt 2.0 offers continuous power output of 7.6kW off-grid and 9.6kW with grid.

On energy storage capacity, the two new offerings are 17.1kWh (EVHB-L6) or 25.65kWh (EVHB-L9) of usable capacity, per system, which suggests Panasonic is expecting households in the US to install bigger and bigger solar systems and aim for higher and higher independence from the grid.

Up to 12kW of solar can be tied to each EverVolt inverter – for both supplying to the loads and charging the batteries – which is around double the average residential rooftop system size in Australia, at the moment.

In terms of appearance, the EverVolt 2.0 is made up of the floor-standing battery cabinet and a hybrid smart inverter with 4 MPPTs, and Panasonic says it offers simple installation and flexible placement either inside or outside (not a thing in Australia, but the outdoor rating bodes well).

A modular design allows homeowners to tailor their energy storage solution to their needs; up to three systems can be stacked together to obtain more power output and energy storage capacity, the company says.

The system also offers a range of “operating modes,” including back-up mode, residential mode, time-of-use mode and custom modes which can be set by the system owner.

“Innovations in energy storage have never been more exciting – and necessary – than they are today,” said Mukesh Sethi, director of Solar and Energy Storage at Panasonic.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to providing top-notch solar and storage solutions for homeowners, the Panasonic EverVolt 2.0 boasts new features that not only meet the needs of energy-conscious homeowners but supports broader sustainability goals,” Sethi said.

“The recently announced federal goals for nationwide solar adoption, paired with consumers’ increasing desire for resiliency, only underscore the necessity for solar and storage solutions like this.”

In Australia, Panasonic currently offers just one non-scalable residential battery storage system, the li-ion AC coupled, 8kWh LJ-SK84A (2kW output) – which is three battery modules, control electronics and a smart inverter housed in a “standalone ‘all in one’ heavy duty metal cabinet.

Whether more offerings from Panasonic will make it to the Australian market remains to be seen, but as long as demand remains fairly low in Australia it’s unlikely such big systems as the Enervolt 2.0 would be added to the local portfolio.