Nissan has joined forces with Eaton to launch a domestic energy storage product, known as xStorage, that can use recycled lithium ion batteries.

The storage is expected to be used by consumers with rooftop PV to maximise returns from feed-in tariffs, but Eaton said it expected customers would also be attracted by the unit’s backup power capabilities and the ability to sell grid response services via aggregators or utilities. It could also provide a route for customers with electric vehicles to part-charge their vehicles or, alternatively, to transfer charge from the vehicle to the battery.

The xStorage can make use of batteries from electric vehicles – Nissan has around 300,000 electric vehicles on the road – which typically have around 70% of capacity remaining when they are changed out. Using such batteries would give xStorage owners 4.2kWh of storage in the basic unit. If they took the option of new batteries the unit would have 6kWh available. So-called ‘Second life’ batteries are warranted for five years and new batteries for ten years.

Launching the unit, the companies said the basic version would cost £4,250 plus installation and VAT, and could provide returns of £42 per month by optimising PV generation to minimise exports and maximise feed-in tariff revenues. They also suggested users could make revenues of £280 per year providing frequency response services to the grid.

The companies plan to sell the devices directly and in partnership with utilities and other consumer-facing companies. Nissan is also offering a lease option combined with PV.

The companies are taking pre-orders for xStorage, which will also take on Tesla’s Powerwall, and said they would start installations in July. By that time, Eaton said it would have a network of certified distributors and installers in place for the product.

The companies hope to join a mass storage rollout that will also take dramatic reductions in the cost of batteries. “By 2020 the lowest cost option will be to generate and store, rather than buying from the grid,” said Stephanie Ordan, Eaton’s storage unit business manager.

Further reading:

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