SunPower is a solar company based in the US that designs and manufactures some of the best solar panels. By including the SunVault Sunpower Battery, the company is expanding its catalog to include one of the best solar batteries available on the market. This battery features an expandable capacity, a beautifully designed high-quality case, and many exciting features that make it one of a kind.
Figure 1: Sunpower’s SunVault – Source: SunPower
If you want to get the best solar battery for your home, we strongly recommend you take a look at Sunpower’s SunVault, since installations for this battery will start taking place in June 2022. In this article, you will get beforehand information about this battery, like key features and a detailed review of its best technical and operating characteristics.
SunVault by SunPower
The SunVault System includes two components, the battery (Figure 2) and the Hub+, which is the brain of the system. The Hub+ integrates the solar inverter, charge controller, transfer switch, and components required to give you complete control over your solar system via SunPower’s mobile app.
Figure 2: SunVault’s Components – Source: SunPower
The SunVault System gives you the freedom to operate the battery under three modes: Self-Consumption, Cost Saving, or Reserve Mode. Using the SunVault will make your home more flexible and resilient against power outages, severe storms, and similar situations.
You can acquire this battery in two different capacities. SunVault also allows you to configure and operate your home backup energy system through SunPower’s intuitive user interface mobile app. If you are looking for a quality battery for backup power or solar self-consumption, this is an excellent option.
Key Features of the SunVault by SunPower
The SunVault includes several interesting features, but some key ones outstand from other battery systems on the market. These key features are the following:
- Two available capacities: 13 kWh or 26 kWh.
- Major operating and control solar components are included in the Hub+.
- Real-time monitoring and configuration of the SunVault via Sunpower’s mobile app.
- Elegant and minimalist design.
- Moderate round-trip efficiency of 86%, 6% more than the average for DC batteries.
- Reduce electricity bills in states like California with Time-of-Use rates with the Cost-Saving mode.
- Be action-ready for any outage or severe storms with the Reserve Mode.
- Reduce your carbon footprint by using the Self-consumption mode.
- 10-year limited warranty.
- Lithium Iron Phosphate Technology
- A flexible setup that allows you to choose backed-up appliances and autonomy.
How Does the SunVault Work?
Using a SunVault is a great way to store solar energy produced by the SunPower Equinox, Tesla Solar Roof, or any solar system featuring different types of solar panels. The SunVault system works by storing the solar panel output power generated during the day that is not used to power the home, sending excess generated power to the grid after fully charging the battery.
The SunVault internal battery gets charged with a DC to DC round-trip efficiency of 86%, producing smaller losses than other DC batteries. Whenever the home demands power, the SunVault converts power from DC to AC by using the built-in solar inverter at the Hub+, delivering a maximum continuous power rate of 6.8 kW. Still, it can also supply higher loads of 8.0 kW for 30 minutes or 12.0 kW for 10 seconds.
The autonomy of the SunVault System depends on several factors like the chosen capacity (13 kWh or 26 kWh), the number of SunVault batteries installed, and the size of the load. It is essential to size the SunVault battery according to the home’s power needs.
The SunVault includes three operating modes: Self-supply, Cost Savings, and Reserve mode. Depending on the configuration settings for the battery, the SunVault will supply power to the home during different situations, reducing your carbon footprint to achieve solar self-consumption, providing your home with resilience against blackouts, or reducing costs for electricity.
Review of Sunpower’s SunVault
In this section, we provide you with a technical review of SunPower’s SunVault, which will give you a deeper understanding of the advantages and features of this solar battery for your home.
Monitoring and Customization With Sunpower’s Mobile App
The SunVault System includes the Hub+, which gives you complete control of your PV system through SunPower’s mobile app. The Hub+ is in charge of converting DC energy generated by your panels into AC power, controlling when delivering stored power to the home. The Hub+ also sets the home action-ready in case of a power outage and gives you full control over your energy system.
Figure 3: The user interface of SunPower’s mobile app – source: SunPower
When controlling the SunVault via SunPower’s mobile app, you can adjust every configuration and operating mode for the battery. This means setting different operating modes, adjusting hours to use power coming from the battery, adjusting reserved capacity, and more.
SunPower’s mobile app also gives you the ability to monitor your whole system in real-time, including how much power the PV system generates, the remaining capacity of the battery, or the energy consumed from the grid.
Available Capacities for the SunVault + Expected Autonomy
When acquiring a SunVault System, you can choose two different capacities: 13 kWh or 26 kWh. On top of it, you can also install up to two battery cabinets, increasing the backup power capacity to 52 kWh.
Depending on the capacity, you will have different autonomies and backup power times. To estimate the backup power time for your appliances, you can use SunPower’s SunVault backup power time calculator, making this calculation extremely easy & flexible.
In SunPower’s web app, you can calculate the backup power time by adjusting the size of the PV system and your home. This way, you can estimate how much time the SunVault can power a mixture of appliances, including a fridge, lighting system, washer & dryer, TV & computers, stove, well pump, and an electric car. For instance, two SunVaults can power all these appliances for almost two days with one charge.
Is the SunVault Recommended for off-Grid Homes?
To power an off-grid home, you should consider a solar storage system with a great capacity and performance to provide your home with enough autonomy to make up for days with low solar panel production. The SunVault works perfectly for backup power applications, self-supply, and off-grid solar applications for homes with relatively low or moderate power demands.
The average Californian home consumes around 7,000 kWh per year or 19.17 kWh per day, meaning that one SunVault battery with a 26 kWh capacity will deliver 1 day and a little more than 8 hours of autonomy, while two SunVaults installed together could power the home for 2 days and over 17 hours.
Three Operating Modes
Cost Savings
The Cost-Saving mode optimizes energy usage under Time-of-Use (TOU) rates. This operating mode discharges the battery to power the home during peak demand hours when the utility charges high electricity rates. This approach optimizes energy flow to provide higher savings.
Self-Supply Mode
The second most popular operating mode is Self-Supply. The SunVault operating in Self-supply delivers power to the home during night hours or during cloudy days when solar panels generate less energy than required to supply the demand of the house. Depending on the size of the PV system, consumption of the home, and the capacity of the SunVault, you might get to achieve partial or total solar self-consumption.
Reserve Mode: Everything You Need During an Outage or a Severe Storm
The Reserve mode is mainly used for emergencies. Whenever utilities notify you of a scheduled power outage or a storm coming, you can operate your SunVault in Reserve mode, adjusting the reserved capacity for the battery.
In this mode, the Hub+ sends all the available energy to the battery until the capacity reserved for the outage is fully charged. This mode will keep the reserved capacity in place until the blackout occurs or until the date you deem as a safe time for the battery to operate regularly.
Conclusion: Is the SunVault the Right Solar Battery for You?
The SunVault System is an excellent option for homeowners looking to integrate a PV system in a simple and minimalist design. This battery delivers a great continuous power rate of 6.8 kW or up to 12 kW for 10 seconds, including a decent round-trip efficiency of 86%.
Since the SunVault System includes the battery and the Hub+ that integrates control and operating components for the solar system, there is no need to add solar components separately, making the PV system look highly aesthetic and function better with this smart battery system.
If you are looking to give your home energy independence, resilience, and flexibility, the SunVault might be the choice for you. This smart home battery system delivers you complete control over your energy storage system via SunPower’s mobile app and has an outstanding performance competing with other excellent smart home batteries like the Tesla Powerwall, Generac PWRCell, and Sonnen solar battery