Storage & PV modules

A stationary storage system shifts consumption in time: it stores electricity produced or bought when it is abundant and cheap, and releases it when it is expensive or unavailable. Uses range from residential self-consumption to peak shaving and backup power for commercial and industrial sites. Lithium iron phosphate chemistry, known as LiFePO4, is favoured for stationary storage for its thermal stability and cycle life, at the cost of a lower energy density than other lithium chemistries, which matters little when the system does not move.

Sizing starts from your consumption and production profile, not from a round capacity figure: the usable capacity actually available, the power the system can deliver continuously and at peak, AC or DC coupling with your installation, and the quality of the battery management system that protects the cells. The warranty must be expressed both in years and in cycles or energy throughput, and specify what is guaranteed: residual capacity, not just operation.

The Batteries Regulation 2023/1542 now governs the whole life cycle of batteries placed on the Union market, with obligations entering into force in stages: labelling and information, carbon footprint declaration, durability and performance requirements, a digital battery passport for industrial batteries, collection and recycling under extended producer responsibility. The importer who places the system on the market must be registered as a producer in each country of sale.

The Low Voltage Directive and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive also apply to the complete system, as does the WEEE Directive for the electronic equipment. Transporting lithium batteries falls under dangerous goods regulations, with transport test reports that must exist before shipment. We verify that certificates cover the system as sold, not only the cells inside it.

The most frequent confusion concerns capacity: a battery's nominal capacity is not its usable capacity, which depends on the depth of discharge the manufacturer allows to honour its warranty. Always compare the energy actually available and guaranteed over time. Second trap: a set of certificates covering the cells or a module, when it is the assembled system, with its electronics and enclosure, that will be installed at your site.

Third trap, a legal one: a warranty signed by a factory outside the Union is hard to enforce if no authorised representative or importer answers for it in Europe. That is precisely the role we take on, with a written and enforceable contractual warranty. Finally, check that the installer is qualified for storage and that producer registration for batteries and WEEE is planned: these formalities are conditions for lawful placing on the market.