High energy prices have led marketers to fierce competition to attract customers and new business models have emerged that were difficult to imagine just a couple of years ago. A user can now contract everything from virtual batteries and wallets, solar panel subscriptions – as if it were a Netflix plan – to enjoying a supply that comes from photovoltaic plants installed in Murcia and living in Barcelona.
One of the latest fads that is changing the solar energy paradigm is the virtual battery model for storing surplus electricity that is not consumed. This is a good option if you do not have the physical space and money to make the initial investment involved in a photovoltaic installation. One of the latest companies to launch itself into conquering this market niche has been SolarMente.
The ‘cleantech’ created in Barcelona in 2020, which until now based its business model on photovoltaic self-consumption under a monthly subscription (from 49 euros), becomes a marketer to optimize its value offer and customer savings. With this virtual battery service, the user can accumulate the energy generated until reducing the consumption of their electricity bill to zero euros or spend it on another home or premises.
The accumulated money is deducted from the bill without limits
Specifically, the system works as follows: photovoltaic panels installed in your home or company produce electricity that is consumed in the property itself, and the surplus is poured into the electrical grid. This surplus is converted into euros according to current electricity rates and stored in the customer’s virtual battery for one year. The accumulated money is deducted from the monthly electricity bill without limits. The compensation is made on the consumption part of the bill, although it also only offers additional discounts on the applicable taxes depending on the contracted rate.
In addition, the energy balance stored in the virtual battery can also be used to offset the bill for a second property, even if it is not registered in the name of the same owner. In the case of individuals, it may be a second residence, a family member’s home, etc. and, in the case of a company, another premises, warehouse or industrial warehouse. The only requirement is that the property also has a contracted electricity supply with the company.
The firm co-founded by Wouter Draijer has had the support of an investment round of 50 million euros and hopes to reach 10,000 solar systems installed in five years, promoting models such as the ‘renting’ of photovoltaic panels in order to facilitate the customer access to this technology and offers greater flexibility in payments. The large electricity companies – Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy and Repsol – are also making a strong commitment to virtual batteries.
Likewise, another alternative to not paying anything for the electricity bill is the virtual wallet. Octopus Energy has put on the table a possible solution for all those who have solar panels and who cannot do anything with their excess energy. It has created a solution called ‘Octopus Solar Wallet’ with which its clients can store the surplus energy generated by their solar panels and then compensate them in the form of money. The tool is free and is also available for users who already had solar panels before.
Use surplus whenever you want, without expiration
Surpluses are saved without expiration or additional cost. In this way, users will have the possibility of using them in subsequent months and sharing them with other homes or supply points managed by the company. To date, more than 15,000 clients benefit from this initiative in Spain. The energy company highlights that in June it issued approximately 15,000 invoices at zero euros. 5% of solar self-consumption installations in Spain have ‘Octopus Solar Wallet’.
Another modality that is revolutionizing the sector is remote self-consumption. For example, a person who lives in an apartment in Barcelona or who runs a commercial premises can hire their own solar panels installed in Murcia and benefit from the energy they produce for 30 years (years of useful life of the panels). At Comunidad Solar they have designed an electricity supply model based on remote self-consumption with the aim that anyone can own energy from renewable sources, regardless of whether they live in areas with little sun or in an unsuitable home. to install solar panels.
Consumption at zero euros
In this case, remote self-consumption has been designed so that any family or small business can cover 100% of its energy consumption at zero euros with the green energy produced by solar panels. They can thus save up to 70% of their electricity bill, which is the percentage corresponding to the concept of energy cost on a bill in Spain. The rest corresponds to toll costs, distribution and regulated costs. On the other hand, in the event that the remote self-consumption user’s solar panels produce more energy per hour than what is consumed in their home or premises, they will accumulate the value of the surplus at market price to be able to further reduce their next bills.
A family with a monthly bill of 95 euros (65 euros for energy + 30 euros in taxes and pesos) could reduce the bill to 30 euros if they contract 4 energy ‘mixes’.
