Another entrant has joined the suddenly trendy market for stationary energy storage. Daimler’s wholly-owned subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive has announced plans to sell energy storage systems to both residential and commercial customers.

ACCUmotive’s lithium-ion battery modules have an energy capacity of 2.5 kWh for the residential model, and 5.9 kWh for the industrial version. Up to eight modules can be combined for a total capacity of 20 kWh. Systems will be available for ordering in June, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in the fall.

The first industrial-scale unit is already on the grid, and a joint venture called Coulomb is marketing it on the German energy exchange for grid stabilization and load-smoothing services. This 96-module system has a total capacity of more than 500 kWh, which will eventually be increased to 3,000 kWh.

Daimler plans to invest an additional €100 million in Deutsche ACCUmotive in the coming years. The company has delivered more than 60,000 lithium-ion batteries to date, and will soon have some 20,000 square meters of production and logistics space.

“Mercedes-Benz energy storages provide the best confirmation that lithium-ion batteries made in Germany have a viable future,” said Harald Kröger, Mercedes Head of Development for EVs. “With our comprehensive battery expertise at Deutsche ACCUmotive we are accelerating the transition to sustainable energy generation both on the road and in the field of power supply for companies and private households. We have been gathering initial experience in this field since 2012.”

Source: Daimler via Green Car Congress