Year-round electricity storage for buildings boosts energy security

The invasion of Ukraine and Germany’s dependence on Russian natural gas has drawn attention to the vulnerability of our energy systems.

“A stable energy supply that does not rely on fossil fuel from Russia or other countries is one of the key challenges of the coming years,”

says Zeyad Abul-Ella, says Zeyad Abul-Ella, founder and CEO of Berlin-based HPS Home Power Solutions AG (HPS).

“An energy supply based on solar and wind power is important but cannot function all year round without seasonal electricity storage systems.”

picea from HPS is the world’s first year-round electricity storage system for buildings.

The decentralized generation and use of renewable energy combined with electricity storage is the key to a robust energy system that will minimize the need to import energy. What’s more, seasonal electricity storage generated from renewables makes the cost and availability of energy highly predictable – an important consideration, especially in times when supplies are uncertain and energy prices volatile.

“The combination of photovoltaic systems, heat pumps and seasonal hydrogen-based electricity storage in our buildings has the potential to make Germany’s energy supply more independent and reduce the demand for fossil fuels,”

says Abul-Ella.

The German government is planning to install 6 million heat pumps and to register 15 million e-cars by 2030. However, the use of heat pumps and electric vehicles will more than double the demand for domestic electricity. The German government will therefore be providing subsidies to help meet these targets.

Rooftop solar systems will make an important contribution to meeting the increased demand for electricity. Taken over the whole year, the photovoltaic (PV) systems in many homes feed more electricity into the grid than they use to meet their own electricity and heating requirements. But PVsystems in particular often feed electricity into the grid at times when there is a general oversupply of electricity anyway. This can lead to negative prices in the electricity market and sometimes also to grid bottlenecks and the shutting down of PV systems. Carbon avoidance is then reduced because electricity from renewable sources is not being used.

On the other hand, when there is an undersupply of renewable energy in the power grid, as often happens during the winter months, buildings usually draw significant amounts of electricity from the grid exactly when electricity generation is carbon intensive. In the winter of 2020, fossil fuels made up over 60 percent of the electricity mix.

PV systems with seasonal electricity storage combined with heat pumps can solve this problem, as the solar electricity from the summer can supply the heat needed in winter – without putting a strain on the grid or relying on electricity from reserve power plants. This combination is the “dream team” of the energy transition.

“There is another important factor – that of time! Unlike industrial-scale solutions, seasonal electricity storage systems for domestic use do not require the construction of a separate infrastructure. These German-made systems are available on the german market now and are already in use. They can be installed immediately. Approval procedures are not required. Homeowners can therefore achieve energy security in new or existing buildings by using a combination of renewable energy and seasonal electricity storage. This immediately reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and directly protects the environment. This is another significant factor, given the short time we have left to reduce carbon emissions and meet the 1.5-degree target,”

says Abul-Ella.

picea is the world’s first commercially available hydrogen-based electricity storage system for buildings. The surplus energy generated by the photovoltaic system on sunny days is stored as green hydrogen and used in the dark season to supply electricity and heat. picea enables a CO2-free full supply of energy all year round and reduces heating costs. Per year, a picea system avoids about three tons of CO2 emissions and this is equivalent to the amount that 130 spruce trees capture annually. picea has received several prestigious awards, most recently the Handelsblatt Energy Award, the smarter E Awardand the Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Award.

HPS develops and produces integrated systems for the storage and use of solar energy based on green hydrogen homes, multi-family houses and commercial properties. The Berlin-based company was founded in 2014 by Zeyad Abul-Ella and Dr. Henrik Colell and stands for reliability, independence and sustainability in decentralized energy supply. For more information, please visit: http://www.homepowersolutions.de/en

Nils Boenigk (Public Affairs & Public Relations)
Tel.: +49 30 235914-704
Email: nbo@homepowersolutions.de