Powervault 3 solar battery technical specification
Powervault 3 home battery storage is designed and assembled in the UK. It's been designed specifically to store solar energy or off-peak electricity in either residential or commercial premises. It’s compatible with all solar systems and is quick and easy to install. It comes with a hybrid solar inverter, which can replace your old one now or be ready for switch over when your old one fails, saving you the replacement cost of that too. You can view and download the full specifications here.
| Battery type and chemistry | Lithium-polymer (Li-MNC) | |
| Nominal capacity (AC) | 4kWh | 8kWh |
| Usable capacities* | 4kWh | 8kWh |
Dimensions (Allow additional 20cm on all sides for air flow) | H97cm; W100cm; D25cm | H127cm; W100cm; D25cm |
| Weight | 129kg | 179kg |
| Warranty | 10 years | |
*Under test conditions. Values provided for 25°C, 3.3kW charge/discharge. Capacity and power output may also depend on local installation conditions.
Solar battery installation
It's best to have the battery in a garage, utility room, basement or under the stairs. It's not suitable for external locations and we don't recommend installing it in loft spaces. It'll be floor mounted and fixed to the wall for stability. It'll need to be connected to the internet at all times.
The standard installation covers all the work we need to do for the average domestic installation. For more complex installations or those in more geographically remote locations, we charge the additional costs as detailed in the Charges & Installation section of the Ts&Cs. Any additional charges can be bundled into your finance package. Or you can use your own electrician to carry them out.
Getting your solar battery installed:
- Pay £500 deposit
- Complete the online site survey and provide photos
- Free of charge onsite survey to confirm technical details
- Pay balance by card or spread the cost with our finance offers
- Installation by our expert engineers in usually less than one day.
View your savings
As part of the installation we'll set up your Powervault Portal, which enables you to see your solar energy generation, use, battery charge and discharge on daily basis. You can set your personal charge / discharge schedule allowing you to maximise your savings and make use of time of use tariffs if you have one. You’ll also be able to see if Grid Services are active and for how long.
EDF Grid Services
What are EDF Grid Services?
Right now, when the electricity grid runs short of capacity during peak periods, extra power can be generated but usually not in the cleanest or greenest way. Conversely, when there’s excess renewable generation, demand cannot be increased which leads to wasted energy. That’s why we're building a network of small-scale batteries to help balance this mismatch. In return we pay our battery owners a set income, in advance, every year. You can opt out of the Grid Services at any time and choose not to receive the annual payments.
Are Grid Services new?
Grid Services already exist in industrial and commercial energy markets where National Grid and the District Network Operators pay for grid balancing services to minimise risk of blackouts in times of supply and demand mismatch. Owners of large batteries can also be paid to soak up excess generation or release when top up levels are required.
It would be difficult for a single domestic battery to operate in the same way, which is why we’re building a network of small-scale batteries. When aggregated together, they can be used like large scale storage to help manage the peaks and troughs of energy production and demand. This supports the growth of renewables and an increase in number of small scale generators on the grid.
The way in which we use energy in our daily lives will change as we move to a Net Zero society. The growth of EVs, for example, will put different demands on the network so we need a more flexible, dynamic system to deal with the transition.
How will Grid Services work with my individual battery?
The Powervault 3 home batteries will all operate as a group, not individually, so your battery will not be responding to peaks and troughs of the grid by itself. The smart controls within the Powervault 3s can be synchronised by Powervault’s SmartStorTM software platform, and respond to signals from EDF’s PowerShift optimisation system when Grid Services are required. As an example, you may see a time during the night when the battery does a series of small charges and discharges, or an additional charge being fed to the battery during the night if there was excess wind energy available on the grid, but there is not enough demand on the network to make use of it. Alternatively, during the peak demand hours of early evening the battery would be used to power your house completely, removing your consumption from the grid, thereby reducing demand. At all times the health of the battery is monitored and you have full visibility of your amount solar generation, grid charging, and discharging in the Powervault Portal.
Your EDF Grid Services contract is for ten years. We pay an annual amount in return for occasional access to the battery. You can leave the Grid Services contract at any time. You can read the full Ts&Cs.
Your questions answered about Grid Services
How will I be able to see my Grid Services schedule?
The Grid Services schedule will appear above your own schedule on your portal. See example below of how it'll look. Here, you will be able to monitor the times at which Grid Services will be active on your battery.
