Rikard Malm wanted to take charge of home energy for some time, but the technology has only recently become available to deliver this, safely, efficiently and cost-effectively. With the installation of multiple solar panels on several roofs and buildings, and QuiPower managing the energy supply, it’s now possible to generate and store much of a house’s energy needs onsite, while purchasing power from the grid at a low spot price.
“The fact that QuiPower is Smart Grid-ready and connected to weather apps which keep me updated on potential production, makes this system the obvious choice for anybody who wants to take charge of their energy.”
Rikard
The challenge
Rikard Malm has been following the home energy market closely for several years, hoping to find a solution to meet property energy needs.
“The house is on the water’s edge in the Stockholm Archipelago. It’s a beautiful spot with a lot of sunshine, which should really be taken full advantage of. However, I didn’t want to compromise on a home energy solution. I wanted aesthetically pleasing solar panels that match the color of the roof. There are several buildings with roofs facing in different directions, but I wasn’t keen on having lots of connecting cables running all over the place. I also wanted to be able to save the solar energy that is generated during the day for use when the sun goes down – it’s such a waste to produce clean energy only to sell it cheaply to the grid when nobody is at home and then purchase electricity at peak rates when it’s needed the most.”
“Finally, I wanted the ability to buy and sell energy from the grid at predetermined rates, so-called time-shifting. This can be done if you have an intelligent system that be connected to a service such as Nordpool, where you can trade energy. During periods when there is overproduction at the house, it should be possible to sell energy when the price is high and, in the same respect, if production levels are going to be down it should be possible to buy energy at a low cost and store it for later use.”
“It is sad and unnecessary to produce clean energy just to be forced to sell it cheaply to the grid when no one is home, and then to have to buy expensive electricity when you need it”
Rikard
Available alternatives
Rikard Malm had already identified the ideal suppliers and installers of solar panels, but he was looking at two different producers for energy storage.
“Kraftpojkarna provided the solar panels. I chose them because they were able to provide powerful and efficient panels with black glass and black frames that are barely noticeable on the roof. Solarwork were given the job of installing the system; they are reliable, authorized installers with a lot of experience and knowhow.”
“When it came to the energy storage solution I had two companies to choose from. Both use Nilar home batteries in their systems, which are the only batteries that meet safety requirements for installation on the property.”
In the end, QuiPower from Enequi was chosen because it can deliver on all the home energy demands from one single plug-and-play unit, including integrated car charging, real-time control from the app and multi-inverter AC support for solar panels.
“It took several years for me to find the ideal home energy solution, but once the decision to proceed was taken, delivery and installation were finalized very quickly.”
Rikard
Results and benefits
QuiPower Storage, with 12 kWh capacity, was installed to store and transfers energy to the house from the 17.7 kWp solar panels. Each panel has its own AC inverter to avoid the need to connect the different panels. Energy from each inverter is channeled to QuiPower Storage. Car charging for two vehicles was also incorporated in the solution. Thanks to the integrated car charging system, only the charger cables are exposed, the actual charge station is safely locked away in QuiPower Storage.
“It took several years for me to find the ideal home energy solution, but once the decision to proceed was taken, delivery and installation were finalized very quickly.”
“I’m excited about the time-shifting capabilities, which will become even more important here in Sweden in the coming years, when electricity will be measured in 15 minute intervals. The fact that QuiPower is smart grid ready and connected to weather apps, which keep me updated on potential production, makes this system the obvious choice for anybody who wants to take charge of their energy. But then again, you can also let the system manage the energy supply for you, which is another great feature. It’s up to you to decide how involved you want to be in the management of your system.”
Solar panel capacity:
QuiPower storage capacity:
