ᐅ Photovoltaic system with battery storage, with or without cloud service plan

Hi everyone,

I searched a bit but didn’t find anything that fully satisfied me.

While I originally planned to install the photovoltaic system and battery storage for our new build in 4-5 years, I’ve now changed my mind. With current electricity costs at €110 and likely €130-140 for the new build, I can just take out a loan to cover €150-170 per month and install the photovoltaic system right away.

I asked the planning office to get us a quote. I also searched myself and received one today.

29x JA Solar JAM60S10-340/MR

or

30x Solarwatt Eco 120M Photovoltaic Modules 330 Heat Pump

and Senec . IES Home V3 duo Lithium 5kWh (5.5 kilowatt-hour) storage capacity.

So far, so good, but there is a line item for signing a cloud contract, and the cost-benefit analysis includes costs and savings related to the cloud. However, I don’t fully understand what the cloud service actually provides for my money or what it means.

I assume it’s not only SENEC offering a cloud service but others as well, and I’m not quite sure what exactly I get from it. Would I no longer feed electricity directly into the grid, and would I lose feed-in compensation for the surplus energy?

Do I need the cloud or not? If I do need it, which provider should I choose?

Provided you can get the system up and running before the authorities take action and the limit is reached, why bother with storage at all? Cloud or no cloud...

The only party that benefits from cloud solutions and storage in photovoltaics is the provider of those services.

Have someone calculate how many kWh you can use from the battery storage per year.

Next, multiply this number by 15 years. Then divide the cost of the battery storage by the total kWh over 15 years, and you will see that the cost per kWh from the storage is around 30–50 cents, which is higher than your electricity price. Proper subsidies are essential; otherwise, battery storage is just a hobby. Maintenance costs, efficiency losses, and other factors are not included in this calculation.

Do not sign anything you don’t fully understand. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the legal 52GW cap. There will be a cabinet meeting about this tomorrow. You don’t want to invest only to find out that you no longer receive compensation because the system’s commissioning date falls outside the allowed period.

As far as I understand, the cloud service is basically an electricity tariff offered by major providers. Research who the cloud providers are. In my opinion, it’s a good way to lock in customers. What happens if the costs in the cloud tariff are arbitrarily raised? Can you cancel? Can you switch providers? What happens to the battery storage?

I would recommend maximizing the potential of the roof first and build without battery storage initially. Once prices improve or subsidies become available, you can always add a battery later. Are you planning an electric vehicle? Then keep an eye on V2G / bidirectional charging technology.

Good luck!

Forget the topic with the storage system. Right now, I would focus on the cost of the modules and, even more importantly, their availability. There are many reports here about commissioning being postponed indefinitely because the modules are currently stuck in Asia or not being produced.

In January, I had 28 x 335 W modules installed on the roof, with costs around €1,100 net, all inclusive.

Cloud storage is nonsense. After a quick search, I immediately ruled it out. Even worse if you have to commit for 10 years and rent the photovoltaic system. No thanks...

We only have an energy storage system because we built to KFW40+ standard. That was definitely worth it. I wouldn't do it without the subsidy.