Sonnen Batteries 101

It is often the curious nature of human beings that lead them to discover new things that can help in everyday lives. More often though, necessity is the mother of invention, and when someone asks why can we not just use batteries to run homes like other things that need electricity, then it is only a matter of time before an actual home battery is invented.

The technology is certainly nothing new, however, its application only became available to the common household relatively recently. These home batteries, coupled with the increasing capacity and efficiency of solar panels and solar power technologies have become independent power sources in their own respects, with some even able to keep a home powered for at least seven days in the event of a power outage.

Right now, there are numerous brands both big and small that are in tight competition with one another over who has the best home battery. One of them is a reputable and rather new German company named Sonnen, which has actually made leaps and bounds ahead in the industry.

So if you are considering purchasing their own home battery brand aptly named sonnenBatterie eco, here are some facts and specifications that you need to know first to stay ahead of the curve.

• Sonnen’s very own sonnenBatterie utilizes the company’s own software for managing the energy stored in the home battery. It manages everything from providing backup power, saving energy, and controlling your solar panels.
• This said proprietary intelligent software from Sonnen itself can then be tweaked and customized to tailor your own needs and preferences.
• The sonnenBatterie has a feature that can take advantage of “rate arbitrage” where the battery can detect when the energy from your utility is cheaper. During this moment, it will switch to storing energy instead of using it so you can benefit from the cheaper rates.
• Adversely, when the energy from your utility provider is more expensive (i.e. peak hours), then sonnenBatterie can switch to using its stored energy instead so you can avoid the extra cost of peak hours or something else.
• Sonnen’s batteries can easily take over in the event of a power outage, meaning you don’t need to do anything because the sonnenBatterie can do it for you.
• sonnenBatterie comes in two sizes, a 6-foot-tall unit, and a 4-foot-tall unit. The bigger one, of course, has better capacity than the smaller one.
• The base unit starts at 4 kilowatts per hour (kWh) capacity but can be easily expanded over time until it reaches 16 kWh with 2 kWh increments.
• Modular design allows owners to customize the units based on their needs.
• Each unit of sonnenBatterie eco has a long warranty of 10 years or 10,000 cycles.
• The batteries of the unit also have its own smart technology and can easily learn algorithms and applied them in daily operations for full automation when you are not around.
• Purchasing one gives you an optional chance to join the sonnenCommunity which is basically the online community for sonnenBatterie owners with lots of perks.
• This community will also allow you to trade electricity with other owners of the sonnenBatterie.
• Sonnen has introduced an application for your smartphones called SonnenApp where you can control the sonnenBatterie eco remotely and check up on its operation.
• SonnenApp will also show you just how independent you are in terms of energy so you can easily gauge when you don’t need your utility provider anymore.
• sonnenBatterie eco models come in three colors, white, black or silver. No need to worry about home aesthetics.
• Sonnen has become the biggest home battery supplier in Europe.
• The company has supplied more than 30,000 units overall and counting.
• The sonnenBatterie has received numerous awards and was just recently a 2017 Zayed Future Energy Prize winner.
• Sonnen is also part of MIT Technology Review’s “50 Smartest Companies 2016” and the Cleantech Global 100 2015/2016/2017 lists.
• You can also rest assured since Sonnen uses safe chemicals with their sonnenBatterie models which have Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry.
• Sonnen is also one of the few companies to utilize the safest form of lithium chemistry in the home battery industry right now.
• Sonnen’s sonnenBatterie eco is one of the premium-priced home batteries right now on the market but its modular design and guaranteed 70 percent efficiency over its 10-year warranty more than makes up for the extra cost.

Against other brands

So with all those accolades and engineering achievements from Sonnen, you may be wondering just how well the sonnenBatterie eco models can go toe-to-toe with other brands. Right now, the biggest competitors of Sonnen are Tesla’s Powerwall, LG’s Chem RESU, Pika’s Energy Smart Harbor Battery.

Sonnen is actually the second most expensive brand of all the above mentioned, coming second to Pika Energy Smart Harbor Battery which usually costs around $12,000 to $18,000 including installation. LG and Tesla’s offerings are considerably more affordable than Sonnen, with Tesla Powerwall priced below $6,000 and LG’s Chem costing $6,000 to $7,000.

However, sonnenBatterie eco units have the best efficiency guarantee in all the brands mentioned, with a promised 70 percent capacity throughout 10 years. The closest one is from LG Chem with 60 percent capacity over 10 years of warranty. Meanwhile, Tesla Powerwall and Pika Harbor Battery does not have those efficiency guarantees and only have 10-year-warranties.

As for the kWh capacity per dollar cost, Tesla Powerwall takes the crown since its sub-$6,000 unit readily offers 13.5 kWh capacity. The sonnenBatterie eco base unit only comes in at a capacity of 4 kWh but, as mentioned above, is actually modular and can be easily expanded to 16 kWh with a few upgrades, easily edging out Tesla. There is also the fact that Sonnen uses the safest home battery technology right now among all the brands mentioned.

So if you have any reservations about purchasing Sonnen’s sonnenBatterie eco units, then know that the only thing that can set you back is the cost or the battery. Apart from that, it is actually one of the best home batteries your money can purchase in the world right now, assuming cost is not too much of a concern. Regardless, Sonnen’s home batteries are definitely worth every cent you spent.