Sonnen unveils new battery range, including home “power station” blackout solution

German energy storage giant Sonnen has unveiled a new home and small commercial battery storage range, Sonnerbatterie 10, which includes a “performance” model that can store up to 55kWh, and a three-phase “island” solution that can power a house through a blackout.

The new batteries, unveiled in Germany on Wednesday, have been developed as a “modular storage concept” with a storage capacity ranging from 5.5kWh to 27.5kWh for the sonnenBatterie 10 and 11kWh to 55kWh for the sonnenBatterie 10 performance.

The “island solution,” which is officially called the Sonnen Protect 8000, is offered in the new range as an optional extra that provides three-phase full home backup in the event of a power failure.

A further sonnenDC module is also listed among the new range, as an option for customers to turn the sonnenBatterie 10 performance into a hybrid system.

“With the flexible AC or DC-side island capability, we would like to make an offer to those customers who rely on even more independence and maximum security in the event of a power failure,” said Sascha Koppe, Country Director DACH at Sonnen, as quoted in PV Magazine.

“This is an alternative to the solar-plus-storage systems currently available on the market.”

Elsewhere, the technology remains the same, using the “safe and durable lithium iron phosphate” chemistry that Sonnen says has proven itself through the more than 50,000 systems installed worldwide.

“The sonnenBatterie is a tried and tested high-tech electricity storage device, with which you can cover around 75 percent of your annual electricity needs with self-generated energy and hardly need from your conventional energy supplier,” the website says (in German).

“With the sonnenBatterie 10 performance, you are always on the safe side and turn your home into a clean, well-equipped power station.”

The rated power capacity of the sonnenBatterie 10 ranges from 3.4kW – 4.6kW, and for the 10 performance up to 8kW. All products have a 10-year guarantee.

When the new range might be available in Australia is not yet known, although One Step Off The Grid is seeking more information on this.

As One Step has reported, Sonnen has an Australian battery plant based in Adelaide, which was established off the back of a deal with the South Australian government as part of its Home Battery Scheme.

Whether this means the new products might be fast-tracked in Australia remains to be seen. At the end of 2019, the S.A. plant had produced around 2,000 batteries but has the potential to make 12,000 a year, according to Sonnen.

Certainly, the new products – and in particular the Sonnen Protect feature – could hold strong appeal for regional Australian customers looking for better energy security after the catastrophic bushfires that ravaged the country over the 2019-2020 summer and left whole towns cut off from power.

As it stands, Sonnen has been working with the South Australian government to offer free battery storage to those households in the state that were forced to rebuild after the fires.

“This initiative will help add significant value to those rebuilding their homes, alleviating pressures of energy costs and provide them with the control to manage their energy needs more independently,” Sonnen Australia CEO Nathan Dunn said in March.