Mercedes-Benz Energy is ready for the delivery of the first energy storage units for residential use to homeowners in the UK.

The energy storage units are lithium-ion batteries based on the technology used by Daimler since 2012, in more than 80,000 hybrid and full electric vehicles.

By using the storage units, households with their own solar energy systems can store surplus power with virtually no losses. By combining renewable energy sources with a battery storage unit, households can increase their self-consumption of generated energy to as much as 65%.

Mercedes-Benz's franchised dealer network will not be called upon to retail the systems, however.

Distribution is taken care of by a network of qualified partners such as Alternergy, Innasol and Wind & Sun, as well as with partners who offer a complete system installation, such as Solar Frontier.

“There is tremendous interest in our energy storage units in the UK. We’re very pleased to be able to offer Mercedes-Benz Energy Storage Home to customers here,” said Marc Thomas, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Energy.