Ignorance of energy storage damages UK PV market: EuPD Research
Half of British homeowners with solar panels installed are unaware of storage solutions available to them, according to a survey conducted by EuPD Research. Of respondents who were planning to install solar panels, just 20% were aware of battery storage solutions, while 70% of overall homeowners do not know solar energy can be stored. Solar panel companies rarely advertise storage products as part of their portfolio, which could prove a significant drag on personal solar array takeup.
The most basic rule of product placement in a market is to make your potential customers are aware of the offering that you provide. This is not happening in the U.K. energy storage market, as most PV customers and potential customers are blissfully unaware that energy storage solutions are available, which make PV arrays significantly more attractive.

German market researcher EuPD Research conducted the research, interviewing 1,000 British homeowners about energy options available to them and about solar PV. An incredible 70% of the respondents said that they are unaware that energy storage solutions are available to homeowners in the country, while just one in five homeowners that are planning to install a solar array said they knew that storage products were available.

On top of that, of the homeowners interviewed that already had solar PV installed, only 50% knew that storage solutions are available. This is hugely hirting the market, as the lack of awareness means that the market potential can not even begin to be realized; as an basic book of economics could tell you.

To make it worse, hardly any of the British solar installers of solar PV are offering storage solutions as part of their portfolio. This is surely one of the reasons that the customers are unaware that the energy storage solutions exist and are available to go alongside their solar arrays.

“For the first time, the lack of commitment by the installers can be shown from the end customer’s perspective,” commented EuPD Research analyst Inga Batton.

It is a strange scenario, as energy storage is being heavily promoted in other popular residential solar markets, particularly in Germany and the U.S. The advantage of having storage alongside solar is clear, as it allows customers to keep the energy that is generated from their PV systems, rather than using it all as it is being generated. It seems like a promotional drive within the country is what is now needed to give the market the extra emphasis that it needs to get to the next level and to realize the sizeable potential.

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