After stagnating for a while, the home battery revolution finally seems to be gathering pace again. With the Government now investing hundreds of millions in research and development, designed to transform the UK into a world leader, we should expect great things over the next 5 to 10 years.
Home energy storage firm, Moixa, have secured funding to the tune of £2.5 million that will enable them to install some 50,000 solar home batteries by 2020. Their focus will be on the North West, particularly Liverpool and Manchester (£1 million has been provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority).
According to the company’s founder, Simon Daniel:
“We were looking to set up a support centre in mid-England as a lot of our housing stock for social housing is in that area. Manchester has over 1.2 million homes, Liverpool half a million and there's a lot of new house building going on in that area.”
Who Are Moixa?
For the smart energy revolution to gain traction, it needs advocates and game changers. Moixa was founded back in 2004 and its biggest success was originally the development of a keyboard that could be used with PDA devices. Since then, it has moved into the fast developing world of smart battery technology and it’s beginning to make a splash.
Their system links with solar panels to create what they call a virtual power plant, allowing owners to store spare energy for when they most need it. As we all known, solar only produces power when the sun is shining – it’s something detractors have been quick to hang their coasts on in recent years. The problem is that the majority of us with solar panels on our homes need that electricity during the evening rather than during the day when we’re out at work. Battery systems which can store that energy for later are therefore key to making the most of all that power production.
Using battery power smartly, according to the team at Moixa, will not only help communities manage their electricity better but will also reduce the strain on the national grid. If we’re looking also to reduce our carbon footprint in line with the Paris Accord by 2020, battery technology is going to be a significant part of that.
What are Moixa Planning?
The company aims to offer cost effective solar and storage options to private customers as well as working with local social housing clients.
- They’ll also be working with new builds and creating relationships with utility companies.
- Their initial catchment area is going to be mid-England.
- They’ve built a relationship with the Tokyo Electric Power Company and are running a trial in Japan. TEPC have put half a million into the pot for Moixa.
- The rest of the funding (£1 million) has come from venture capital and private investors.
- So far the company has already installed 1,000 units but is confident that the added investment and their growth plan will enable them to reach the 50,000 target by 2020.
There is expected to be a good deal of de-regulation over the next few years as the UK focuses on developing new battery technology. According to Government research, bringing the new tech on board is expected to save home owners between £17bn and £40bn by 2040 if things go as planned. According to Sky News recently, the Government’s Faraday Challenge:
“Includes a £45m competition to establish a centre for battery research which he said would help make the UK a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of electric batteries.”
Not only does this have the potential to revolutionise how we deal with energy and power in the UK but may also help deliver a thriving, new industry that will employ thousands of people. While much of the focus has been on renewable technologies in recent years, there’s no doubt that battery technology is going to play a huge part in that.
Find out more about battery storage on our main site.