{"id":108719,"date":"2019-11-26T15:47:07","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T14:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sma-sunny.com\/unabhaengigkeitserklaerung-fuer-zuhause-solarstrom-speichern\/"},"modified":"2020-06-24T12:16:54","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T10:16:54","slug":"independence-for-your-home-solar-storage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sma-sunny.com\/en\/independence-for-your-home-solar-storage\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Storage \u2013 A Declaration of Independence for Your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Record solar yields in Europe: The summers of recent years have been extremely profitable for PV system operators. While nature suffered under the unrelenting heat of the sun, millions of PV systems were busy producing green power. And this is how PV system operator Vincent Illian is becoming increasingly independent from electric utility companies \u2013 right in the heart of Germany.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vincent from Kassel can never get enough sun. He has been operating a PV system on the roof of his parents\u2019 farm since 2002 and utilizes the natural resource that is the sun for domestic electricity supply. \u201cDuring the record summer of 2018, we were 99 percent independent from the power company for months on end,\u201d said Illian. And he achieved this right in the heart of Germany.<\/p>\n

Initially, this family of solar power enthusiasts supplied 3.3 kilowatts of PV power as pure utility grid feed-in. For this, a fixed feed-in tariff applies over 20 years. \u201cThings weren\u2019t quite so advanced at the time when it came to self-consumption, but my goal has always been to utilize the potential of solar power to one day become my own green power supplier,\u201d said Illian . \u201cI love the sun, but I do worry about the hot summers and their impact on our ecosystem. I want to do everything I can to prevent climate change. And I don\u2019t want to just accept my supplier\u2019s ever-higher prices at the expense of the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klimawandel verhindern<\/h2>\n

This works especially effectively in everyday life and in one\u2019s own home \u2013 after all, electricity costs account for around 30 percent of the ongoing operating costs of a single-family home and are the second biggest budget item after heating costs. Electricity generated in conventional power plants is not very environmentally friendly.<\/p>\n

PV system modernization with storage<\/h2>\n

\"SMA_PV_Anlage\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2012, Vincent installed another PV system exclusively for the internal power supply. Located on the roof of the farm, the PV system has a peak power of 15 kilowatts and now supplies their private home with renewable energy. But, according to Illian, there is still a long way to go: \u201cWe have a lot of space here and can achieve a lot more. We have enough potential for a lot more than merely washing our clothes and dishes, using a heat pump or charging an electric vehicle, because we could also easily supply our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Energy transition for everyone<\/h2>\n

In May 2018, Vincent took the next logical step: installing a storage system in the home. \u201cThe solar power supply was extremely effective, but it was no use at night or when the sky is cloudy. And, for safety reasons, the system needs to be disconnected from the utility grid if there is a power outage. This means that we won\u2019t have any electricity even if the sun is still shining.\u201d The storage system came at exactly the right time to take full advantage of the record summer of 2018.<\/p>\n\n\t\t