Siemens enters home battery storage market

German industrial conglomerate Siemens has launched its first battery storage system geared toward private homes. Homes that generate their own electricity from sources like solar panels will be able to use the "Junelight Smart Battery" system to store power for later use or to sell back to the grid. “Homeowners can use it to maximise the share of their self-generated energy…for their own consumption, to minimise their energy procurement costs and to make a long-term contribution towards the reduction of CO2 emissions,” the company said in a press release (in English).

The release comes just days after oil giant Shell announced its own major foray into the home battery market, with its purchase of German home battery pioneer Sonnen. Sonnen, a start-up founded in 2010, has been one of the driving forces behind the budding home storage boom in Germany.