sonnen Blog

10 years ago, sonnen was founded in the small Bavarian energy village Wildpoldsried, and the market for residential energy storage was still a long way off. We spoke with our two founders, Christoph Ostermann and Torsten Stiefenhofer about the past and the development of sonnen over the past decade.

It's a great time to be an SRP residential electric customer in Arizona. To help make investments in clean energy more affordable for homeowners, SRP is offering one of the largest energy storage incentives we've seen nationwide that majorly offsets the cost of a sonnen home battery system.

— By Acacia Newlon, sonnen Marketing Communications Manager

In 2019, the Kincade Fire ravaged Sonoma County, California and decimated almost 78,000 acres. While firefighters bravely battled the blaze, the local utility began a series of power shutoffs for public safety, which left nearly three million people in the dark. Two residents Joe Metro and Tony DeYoung told us about their experience outfitting their eco-friendly dream home with solar and energy storage and what it was like living through the Kincade Fire. 

— Acacia Newlon, sonnen Marketing Communications Manager

When the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, we have plenty of clean energy to meet demand from the grid. What happens when the sun sets, the wind calms down, and our energy demand outweighs the available energy production? We historically relied on dirty and expensive "peaker plants" to deliver energy when an extra boost is required to prevent a blackout. Batteries offer a creative, clean solution to meet demand! Learn about New England's ConnectedSolutions program where homeowners can share their sonnen battery with the grid to earn cash back.
— By Kyle Mecca, sonnen Channel Specialist

Are you thinking about a clean energy investment in rooftop solar? Or are you considering a rechargeable home battery to get more out of the solar power you generate? For 2020 residential solar installations or home battery additions, you can deduct up to 26% of the cost from your federal income taxes, dollar-for-dollar! There’s no better time than now to invest in renewable energy for your home.

— By Brian Wolfson, sonnen Channel Specialist

Given the reality that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, you may be thinking about getting some form of backup power for your home. Here are three key reasons why energy storage is a better choice than a generator for energy resiliency when your power inevitably goes out.  

— By Brian Wolfson, sonnen Channel Specialist

Designing a home with energy in mind is brand new territory for many architects and specifiers. We sat down with Habitations, LLC, a residential design firm, to discuss their experience discovering home battery technology, working with sonnen to understand the right solution for their customer, and designing their latest solar plus energy storage project with sonnen ecoLinx.
— By Sarah Dresher, sonnen Specification Manager

Adding energy storage to your home is, in many ways, surprisingly similar to buying a car. If I’m like most people, I’d look at quality and reliability, safety, and functionality—among other factors—before choosing my car. Price is typically not the primary concern, otherwise we would see the Chevy Spark outnumber other car models on the streets. When purchasing energy storage, you should use similar criteria to find the right solution for your home. Let’s take a closer look at each of these considerations and how to interpret them when shopping for home battery solutions.

— By Brian Wolfson, sonnen Channel Specialist

Coming from Boston, wildfires aren’t a threat I’m used to, or comfortable with. Many low-income Californians already struggle to make ends meet, and the threat of wildfires here in California is relentless and very real. It’s in my nature as an empath to feel and find a way to help because I believe we’re all in this together, and the impact sonnen is making (and will make) with virtual power plant technology is larger than what I imagined.

— By Kelsey Lord, sonnen Channel Manager - Energy Automation

A question I get asked a lot is, “How long will battery backup with an AC coupled solar system last? My customer has a limited budget.” There are so many variables to think about here — from the size of the battery to what the customer wants to back up in an outage. Luckily, a homeowner who purchased our smallest energy storage system, a 5kWh sonnen eco, was game to let me perform a real operational test and cut power to his unit to simulate a power outage. This test was a real eye-opener for this homeowner, and I promise the story has a happy ending!

— By Greg Smith, sonnen Technical Training Manager

Did you know 36 million Americans were affected by power outages in 2017? Read about the everyday consequences families face as a result of increasing power outages and how energy automation can help.

— By Kelsey Lord, sonnen Channel Manager - Energy Automation

In 2017, Maryland was the first state in the nation to pass a bill, SB 758, enabling state taxpayers to claim an income tax credit for energy storage devices, whether they are paired with solar or stand-alone storage,.  Maryland has reiterated this commitment again with the Maryland Energy Administration’s (MEA) announcement of the launch of the Tax Year 2020 Maryland Energy Storage Income Tax Credit Program (the program)... 

— By Ani Backa, sonnen Director of Regulatory, Legislative, and Utility Initiatives

When it comes to home electricity, reliability is crucial. Read 4 key applications of residential energy storage — from backup power to energy automation.

— By Sarah Dresher, sonnen Specification Mannager

During this time of uncertainty, energy security remains a top priority for homeowners. Check out 5 reasons why you should incorporate smart management technology into your designs.

— By Sarah Dresher, sonnen Specification Manager

Those of us who are privileged to be able to work from home throughout the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders are at the mercy of our utilities for reliable power. During last year’s wildfire season, planned public safety power outages plagued California for months, and this past week, Utah experienced a 5.9 magnitude earthquake and seasonal severe weather knocked out power to thousands. Considering that “non-essential” businesses like coffee houses, libraries, and shared workspaces have closed their doors, a residential power outage impedes our ability to work. So how do we protect against these threats to our abilities to earn an income from home?...

— By Jenise Granvold, sonnen Regional Sales Manager

We hear a lot about Millennial's but did you know that the oldest members of the next generation are already 24 years old? That's right GEN Y is now graduating college and moving into the workforce and into the multifamily leasing market in larger and larger numbers. So what do we know about this generation? One thing that we know is that this is the first "Born Green" generation, All the generations prior experienced the rise of sustainability, this generation was born into it...

— By Rich Salinas, sonnen Channel Specialist