An increasing number of Belgians are installing a battery in their homes to store solar-generated electricity, according to the electricity operator Elia.
While the use of renewables in energy production is growing, their unpredictability (since they depend largely on the weather) remains an issue for the balance of Belgium's electrical grid operator Elia.
As a result, Elia has so far installed roughly 2,000 household batteries in Belgian homes, with a goal of reaching 3,000 by the end of the year.
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This would provide 6MW of power to Elia's network, sufficient to supply 15% of the grid demand. Elia needs 26 MW of electricity each year to keep the lights on.
Elia is therefore using these household batteries to maintain a constant balance between demand and supply, in essence using the residential batteries as a form of flexible power plant to supplement energy that Elia feeds into the grid.
If there is too little electricity on the grid, domestic batteries can make up the shortfall; if there is excess electricity on the grid, it can be stored by charging the batteries.
An example of a household battery. Credit: Facebook/Opteco.
Clients rarely notice any difference after installing these household batteries and have the advantage of being able to earn hundreds of euros in remuneration based on current energy market pricing.
