Maxeon partners AlphaESS for home energy storage launch – PV-Tech

Solar PV manufacturer Maxeon Solar Technologies is to begin selling home energy storage products after partnering with battery producer AlphaESS.

The deal, announced at last week’s Intersolar Europe exhibition, will see Maxeon leverage AlphaESS’ portfolio of power conversion and energy storage products under a white label agreement.

AlphaESS markets a range of home energy storage battery systems under its Smile series in single-phase 3kW and 5kW formats and a three-phase 10kW version. The products use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells.

Maxeon will make products available to its partner network, which comprises more than 1,400 installers and distributors, plugging into the manufacturer’s ‘Beyond the Panel’ strategy to bolster its product suite.

Earlier this month Maxeon unveiled its SunPower One home energy solution, which teased an energy storage offering dubbed SunPower Reserve, with other products set to be incorporated in the future.

Jeff Waters, CEO at Maxeon, said the company is to introduce an “ecosystem of clean energy products and services” for homes that work alongside its range of solar panels.

Speaking to PV Tech at last week’s Intersolar, Waters added that the deal – and others the company may sign as part of its strategy – was intended to maximise the potential of its partner network and the revenue each consumer engagement can realise. EV chargers are also being investigated, with a prototype on display at the exhibition.

“Pulling all of that together, it’s a great way to take all the R&D, all of the effort and the brand that we have on the [solar] panel and just add layers in a low opex, low capex way and through a variety of other products,” Waters added.

The CEO further added that the firm’s ‘Beyond the Panel’ strategy, which it launched in earnest last April, tacked onto a broader trend for consumers to be more engaged with their energy consumption.

“Having an EV change the whole perspective, because now you’ve got your electricity consumption going up dramatically and you also start thinking about storage and such. Even with the events that are happening this year, everybody’s first looking at their utility bills, but they’re also looking at their [energy] independence,” Waters added.