Ten Trends of 2021 Photovoltaic Energy Storage Market

Barry Cinnamon, a solar energy industry in California, expects more solar energy and energy storage in 2021 to cope with the impact of the Covid-19.

For many companies in the solar energy and energy storage industry, customers have a high demand for products and services. According to income, the optical storage market in 2020 is not as bad as expected. In the long run, it is beneficial for enterprises and employees to consider continuing to work from home. Therefore, the demand for cheap and reliable user side energy supply is likely to be higher in 2021. And a good political environment will help. The following is GTM's forecast for the optical storage market in 2021.

1. Roofs in all directions are fair competition targets for solar energy.

In the past 20 years, the efficiency of solar panels has increased from about 13% to more than 20%. With the price down 10 times, it's now economical to install solar panels on roofs in all directions. Gone are the days of neglecting the north facing roof.

2. The design of buildings will reduce carbon.

Higher panel efficiency means that buildings with less than two floors can be designed to reduce carbon, that is, they generate more energy than they consume when running. As a result, the proportion of roofs covered with solar energy will increase.

3. The skill level of solar energy and energy storage contractors will be improved.

Additional features and configuration options for integrating solar and energy storage systems require a higher level of skill. Installation personnel must be proficient in building wiring, CAT 5/6 communication lines, various wireless communication protocols, desktop and mobile applications, and dozens of inverter / battery configuration options. Traditional electrical and rooftop training is just the beginning for solar and energy storage system installers.

4. Module level power electronics duopoly will continue to exist.

Solardedge's inverter and enphase's inverter have become the standard for more than 75% of rooftop installations. The patent protection of these components, together with the requirements of manufacturing scale and the rapid closure of national electrical regulations, create a huge entry barrier for competitors' products. Nevertheless, technology is improving, so leaders must continue to innovate to stay ahead.

5. Customer service and warranty are the key criteria for battery system selection. 

As we all know, battery life is short. The 10-year warranty that comes with all energy storage system batteries is as important as the integrity of the companies that support them. Smart consumers will buy the system from manufacturers with product warranty records.

6. UL 9540/A standard will delay the release of new energy storage products. 

These safety standards are designed to prevent thermal runaway of batteries and are implemented before manufacturers complete the necessary tests. In some cases, there are no pass or fail criteria that meet the criteria, leaving the interpretation of test results to individual jurisdictions. For example, in many cities in California, dual battery systems of 20kwh or more are actually banned, because most homes are unlikely to meet the 36 inch battery and export separation requirements.

7. More large rooftop solar systems. 

Due to the failure of old gas equipment, most owners will install new electrical appliances (heat pump, induction cooker, etc.). As building power consumption will inevitably rise, large solar systems are a wise design decision for most customers.

8. Electric vehicle charging pile will become a common choice for new solar and battery installation. 

The 40A feedback circuit breaker required for the standard solar system can also be used to power the secondary EV charging post. Some new inverters are designed with special connection of EV charging pile, which simplifies the wiring, permission and control of EV charging, thus significantly reducing the cost.

9. In the future, every family will have two batteries in the garage. 

One of the batteries will be mounted on the electric car and the other will be fixed to the wall. The continuous decline in the cost of optical storage system will exceed the interest of automobile manufacturers in V2G. Companies that can charge their employees with daytime electric cars will pay for the high electricity bills. The obvious (though not ideal) solution is to continue to install a separate home battery system.

10. The battery used for backup power supply in the whole house is still expensive. 

Multiple batteries and inverters are required to power the whole house during a power outage. Span and Schneider Electric are launching new "smart" load shedding panels, ideal for new homes. The modified equipment will better serve the independent load shedding controller and integrate perfectly with the general inverter system.

The federal investment tax relief will be extended for two years. Coupled with the new government's renewed enthusiasm for solar energy and energy storage, we can expect another good year for the solar energy and energy storage industry in the United States. However, two major factors will continue to limit the market penetration of these cost-effective systems. First of all, the existing public utility companies are hostile to the solar energy and energy storage equipment selected by customers, which leads to unfavorable self generation electricity price and complex interconnection requirements. The second is growing soft costs, many of which are related to equipment standards and building codes.

Fortunately, industry organizations such as California Solar & Storage Association, solar rights alliance, and federal industry organizations such as solar energy industries association, vote solar, the interstate Renewable Energy Council, and the smart electric power alliance are taking the lead in mitigating these adverse factors. It is hoped that these organizations, which play a vital role in the future success of the industry, will continue to receive support in the new year.