b'Partner News Autumn 2023 23EnterpriseThe situation in the UK is far less clear,Stationary and mobile storage market in Germany in GWheither in terms of market data or government80strategy. The trade body Solar Energy UKPlug-in hybrid electric vehicles 30 72told us that there are no official figures on70 Battery electric vehiclesthe size or growth of the UK home batteryLarge-scale storage systemsmarket. Although it estimates that 50% of60 Industrial storage systemsall new solar installations include a batteryHome storage systems(nearly 80% in Germany)and existing solar50 ISEA RWTH Aachenowners are increasingly retro-fitting storage.2240The UK governments position, laid out in the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan 2021,30is, as yet, a long way short of a strategic policy. It says that market-wide half-hourly20 12settlements and smart tariffs will help drive battery uptake, adding: We will consider10 4options for removing final consumption levies3 2on electricity imported by domestic storage0for the purpose of re-exporting back to theUntil 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Sumgrid. We will also consider this for vehicle-to-grid technologies. Balancing the grid Given the state of the UKs public While some consumers are already balancingfinances, we can hardly expect the range Meanwhile, both consumers and electricitytheir electricity use between car and homeof incentives and subsidies that German suppliers are driving change on their ownbatteries, its interesting to note that manycitizens enjoy to go green. Right now, it is initiative. Smart tariffs from the likes ofnew EVs are being marketed with battery tothe UKs affluent early adopters and the Octopus mean that there is an increasinglyload capability i.e. the ability to trade powerelectricity industry itself who are driving powerful business case for consumers todirectly with the grid. Sothe grid would tapgrowth in the domestic battery market, purchase solar/battery installations and addsome power from the car at times of peakalmost without the government noticing,batteries to their existing arrays.load, then top it up when demand was low.it would seem. The potential to exploit this capability is in Even with costs of around 1,000 per kWh ofits infancy, but assuming the UK will have 10It would be useful if pronouncements on storage, the sums add up when many tariffsmillion EVs in a decade or so, each with anhome and EV battery storage in the Smart top 70p per unit. And if the UKs promisedaverage 50kWh battery, thats a whoppingSystems and Flexibility Plan 2021 were to battery giga-factories ever materialise and50GWh of energy storage to play with. become part of an actionable, national prices fall, they will become even moreenergy strategynot least for their attractive. All this is good news for balancing the gridpotential to flatten supply and demandand for consumers who can afford thecurves, hasten renewables uptake and Octopus, for example, offers customers a40-60k+ investment for a new EV, solarreduce the cost of grid reinforcement. In range of smart tariffs including Outgoingarray and decent-sized storage battery, thenother words, incentivising and enabling Agile, which enables them to benefit fromspare the time to choose tariffs tailored toconsumers to make their batteries part half-hourly wholesale prices, typicallytheir needs. Sadly, the relatively affluent andof the grid could be a sound national charging 0 to 35p, but uncapped.They alsomarket-savvy will be richly rewarded for theirinvestment. But where are the analysesoffer smart tariffs for specifically for EV users,battery investments, while the relatively poorand figures on this?as do others. In some cases, home and EVwill continue to struggle with high energy batteries can be kept charged for almostbills and hopes for even more governmentA good place to start would be to recognise nothing, then used to replace mains suppliessupport, which may be unsustainable. the energy storage gap that exists between when prices are high. the UK and countries like Germany. Take a The governments record on incentivisinglong hard look at what others are doingSmart Export Guarantee payments rangeconsumers to make their electricityand learn from their example.from 15p to less than 2p per kWh returned toconsumption greener has been chequered to the grid, depending on supplier. By shoppingsay the leastincluding dropping the over- If youre interested in a career in power around and choosing the best deals, thegenerous Feed In Tariff payments, in favour ofsystems, a willingness to develop, and canniest consumers can dramatically reducethe Smart Export Guarantee scheme in 2020,a desire to take on new challenges their electricity bills, by juggling when andwith many suppliers paying pitiful amounts towith a yes we can attitude, we would how they use power, with solar inputs andcustomers for the electricity they generated.like to talk with you. Please visit storage in both their EV and domesticfundamentalsltd.co.uk/careers or contact batteries, plus export.This instantly made solar uneconomic for mostus on careers@fundamentalsltd.co.uk.consumers and devastated the industry. Only Even without batteries, consumers can savenow is the combination of cheaper panels, money and help balance the grid with smarthome batteries, smart tariffs and rocketing tariffs and smarter consumption. energy prices reviving its fortunes.'