Even though home batteries are becoming increasingly affordable, investing in a storage solution to maximize solar self-consumption represents a significant cost. For a 5 kWh battery, for example, you should expect to pay nearly €5,000 on average, depending on the brand, the integrated inverter, and the connected energy management system.
The battery has been the expensive relative of residential photovoltaic installations — thought about but left to its own world. While the price of solar panels has plummeted over the last decade, that of storage remained high, often making the return on investment (ROI) for a battery too long to be attractive.
Under these circumstances, renting a solar battery can be a solution for individuals who don’t want to bear the substantial initial investment of a storage solution. It offers them an economically attractive entry point to test the solution over a few years before purchasing their own equipment.
Battery rental can be offered as part of a solar panel rental agreement – including inverters or micro-inverters – which often includes maintenance, performance guarantees, and support. Such combined rental packages are offered by companies such as Otovo, Brico Solar, Energy Protect, Solarent, and Savesmart, to name just a few, as well as Zilo Energie , a startup specializing in solar self-consumption subscriptions.
While fairly common in the C&I sector, leasing the battery alone is much less so in the residential market. Ensol, specializing in consulting, support, and the installation of solar panels for individuals in France, is one of the few market players currently offering this option to its existing photovoltaic customers.
“Individuals are now looking to maximize their self-consumption rather than feeding their surplus back into the grid. In this context, the home battery is emerging as a central tool for energy management. By making it accessible via a subscription model, we are removing the main obstacle to its adoption,” says Paul de Préville, co-founder of Ensol, to pv magazine France .
Ensol leases batteries at highly competitive prices, with monthly payments starting at €30 (5 kWh battery), €45 (10 kWh), or €60 (15 kWh), depending on the model. The contract is for 15 years, with the option to terminate at any time by purchasing the residual value.
Ensol works primarily with Enphase and Huawei, world leaders in their field, using equipment with high capacity in terms of power, warranty, and robustness, and which is also compatible with any type of inverter. “Our unique subscription offer starts at €30 per month for the 5 kWh battery with Enphase and €35 per month for the 7 kWh battery with Huawei. Clearly, at that price, it’s unheard of!” exclaims Paul de Préville.
To offer such a low price, Ensol certainly negotiated rates with its suppliers and was able to leverage its debt to better manage its cash flow. But the secret lies elsewhere, as Ensol’s co-founder explains: “In fact, we’re building a virtual power plant with our customers, in which the battery generates revenue by providing services to the grid through demand response. This doesn’t change anything for the customer in terms of comfort or energy savings. Specifically, the money we receive from RTE for demand response co-finances the subscription price. That’s what allows us to offer such a low price to our customers.”
From pv magazine France.
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