Anker Introduces Modular Solar Battery System with Solix Home Energy Storage
Anker, a company that specializes in device charging, has announced the launch of its Solix line of home energy products, which includes a battery storage system similar to Tesla’s Powerwall. The company unveiled the new products at an event in New York City, along with a smaller battery designed for apartment and condo dwellers that can be used with its existing solar panels mounted on balconies. This move puts Anker in direct competition with Tesla in the home energy market.
The modular battery system, due to arrive worldwide in 2024, scales from 5kWh (enough to run a medium-sized house for a few hours) to 180kWh, which could power a house for nearly a week. Designed to provide backup power for both existing and new solar installations, Anker promises that it “offers a high level of safety and durability, seamlessly transitions off-grid, and is compatible with home energy devices such as heat pumps, oil and gas-powered generators.” It will also work with “a future electric car charging solution,” the company wrote.
The system uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and operates in temperatures from -20 C to 55 C (-4 F to 131 F). It is controlled by Anker’s power management system and is available via an app. Anker hasn’t given the all-important pricing yet, but said more information will be available “later this year.”
By comparison, Tesla’s Powerwall 2 units have nearly triple the output (13.5 kWh each), cost $11,500 each installed, and can be scaled up to 135 kWh. Stand-alone Powerwall installations qualify for the 30 percent federal residential investment tax credit and all government incentives.
In addition to the modular battery, Anker introduced the Solarbank E1600 battery as part of an energy storage system for apartments and houses. Launched in Europe, it follows the company’s recently launched Solix RS40 balcony solar panel system and is compatible with “99 percent of balcony electric products on the market,” the company said.
It is modular, available in sizes from 1.6 to 3.2 kWh (enough for a few hours of power), and works with most microinverters, including the ones included with the RS40 solar panels. When plugged into a standard home outlet, it absorbs excess energy from the solar panels and feeds it back into the home if the grid goes out. Anker promises a “five-minute DIY installation” and said it supports 6,000 charge cycles, or double the industry average. It can also be controlled via the app.
The new storage products join Anker’s existing range of batteries (now also branded Solix), such as the 767 PowerHouse 2.05 kWh, which is designed for campers and outdoor use and charges with an optional 200W solar panel. Anker now joins companies like Ecoflow (with its modular 3.6kWh-25kWh Delta Pro battery) and others in the growing home energy storage market.
