Samsung SDI to Unveil New Residential ESS Products for Global Market
Samsung SDI (KRX:006400) is unveiling new residential ESS (Energy Storage System) products that use differentiated design technology in a move to gain a competitive edge in the market.Samsung SDI will display its full ESS lineup at Intersolar Europe 2017 to be held in Munich, Germany, for three days from May 31. The product line includes new residential ESS products that hold the world’s largest market share, the world’s largest utility-scale 240MWh ESS, whose project was awarded to Samsung SDI last year, and UPS (Uninterruptible Power System) products, whose market shows an explosive growth. Samsung SDI will also present its ESS business performances and vision for the future.
Intersolar is the world-leading exhibition for the ESS and solar industries. Samsung SDI has participated in the trade show since 2012. About 1,000 companies, including large firms in ESS and solar photovoltaic fields, attend the event.
At the exhibition, Samsung SDI will highlight its residential ESS module lineup of high-capacity ESS modules and high-voltage ESS modules. A residential ESS is a battery system installed at home. Its main purpose is to store electricity generated at solar panels in batteries in the system for later use. A modular business takes place as Samsung SDI connects high-power batteries into modules, then makers of finished ESS products add components to the modules, enclose and sell them to consumers.
Samsung SDI’s high-capacity ESS modules are scalable to 39 basic modules with the capacity of 4.8kWh. This means the storage capacity can increase up to 39 times or that a maximum of 188kWh can be stored. It is close to the amount of electricity consumed by 20 homes for a day, given that the daily average of electricity consumption at home in Europe is around 10kWh. Samsung SDI expects to secure European homes with varying electricity demands as its customers through its high-capacity ESS modules.
Samsung SDI is also debuting High-voltage ESS modules that can scale up to 600V from existing 50V (volt) voltage. High-voltage ESS modules generate high volt by connecting cylindrical batteries. High-voltage battery modules enable homes to generate 220V and save costs of parts needed for voltage transformation.
One of the advantages of Samsung SDI’s residential ESS modules is high scalability. Samsung SDI plans to provide ESS modules fitting the various needs of ESS makers on time by applying differentiated scalability. If modules are highly scalable, only minor design changes are needed to meet customer demands, so design cost and time can be saved.
Samsung SDI plans to start mass producing residential ESS modules in the second half of this year. It has conducted tests in cooperation with customer companies from 2016 and expects to achieve their results in 2018.
Samsung SDI is recognized as a competitive company in the field of residential ESS by holding the largest share in Japan for four years from 2013. The Japanese residential ESS market has grown rapidly due to concern about electric grid insecurity since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011.
“Customers show much interest in the differentiated scalability of Samsung SDI’s residential ESS modules,” Sewoong Park, vice president for ESS team, Samsung SDI, said. “We will keep launching ESS products with market-leading technology.”
B3, a market research institution, projects the global residential ESS sales to reach 83,000 units this year and increase by some 16 percent on average annually to about 146,000 units by 2020. B3 also said Samsung SDI had the largest share of the global residential ESS market last year with 30 percent.
