Nissan Joins Tesla and Daimler as the Latest Entry in Energy Storage Business

author: Manish Kharinta   

Technology to design and use batteries to store electricity harnessed from solar panels has received substantial interest recently. Companies like Tesla and Daimler already have a foot in the door with battery technology and recently, Japanese automaker Nissan has announced that it will soon join the duo. These companies have previously used battery tech to power their electric vehicles, some of which also come with integrated solar panels built into the roof.

The Japanese carmaker's new venture will be called Nissan Energy Solar. This wing of the company will be dedicated towards sales of solar panels and energy storing battery packs and developing a consumer base for the same. The stationary battery packs which were developed by Nissan were first showcased in 2016. 

These energy storage battery-packs are now available to the customers and are ready to go on sale. The company is limiting the sales of this product to the U.K market. The Japanese car maker, however, has shown interest in expansion to other European companies in the future.

Effective storage of energy has been a crucial hurdle for the practicality of renewable energy incorporation. In this scenario, solar energy can be effectively stored in these specially designed stationary battery packs. On a regular day, the solar panels produce energy which is several times more than the energy consumption needs of a regular household for a single day. 

This energy can be stored overnight and be used on the days when the climatic conditions obstruct Sun from Shining as brightly, which would impair the panels from harnessing similar levels of energy. This technology will also give homeowners the option of selling the excess energy they have stored in the battery packs and continue to run and power their household efficiently.

The Tesla Powerwall

In the automotive field, the power generation and storage capabilities of the solar panels and stationary battery packs will redefine green cars into their most quintessential form. This will be done by substantially reducing the carbon footprint of the energy source which produces electricity that charges these electric vehicles. 

For now, most electric vehicles like Nissan Leaf and offerings from Tesla Motors broadly use power outlets which derive their electricity from conventional power plants. These power plants generally generate power by using non-renewable energy sources which still generate a sizable carbon footprint. 

The electric vehicles are accountable for the said carbon footprint which is generated to power these vehicles and even though it is substantially lesser than that of the gas-powered vehicles, it still holds electric vehicles from being green cars in their truest sense.

The storage of energy also makes homeowners less dependent on the circuit grid for their power needs. Companies like Nissan, Tesla, and Daimler which have already invested heavily in electric vehicle and Battery Technology can capitalize on this lucrative opportunity by offering their products for a new application. 

Tesla also offers utility-scale energy storage arrays which can harness and store energy from both solar and wind farms. In Japan, Nissan is also testing a nonstationary battery pack system which can absorb excess power from the grid and store it to be used when required.

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.