PLENTICORE storage solutions

Efficiency in all areas

PLENTICORE from KOSTAL: maximum efficiency in all areas

Always make the right choice, with hybrid and battery inverters from KOSTAL. Confirmed by the 2020 Energy Storage Inspection.

On the winners' podium of the 2020 Energy Storage Inspection with PLENTICORE storage solutions

Storage solutions from KOSTAL are future-proof, flexible and efficient

The PLENTICORE plus and the PLENTICORE BI, both in combination with the BYD Battery-Box, achieved top positions on the winners' podium in both of the 2020 Energy Storage Inspection's reference cases.

The Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW)'s 2020 Energy Storage Inspection has now published a second reference case (PV system 10 kWp + heat pump + electric vehicle and power consumption of 9,364 kWh p.a.) in addition to the well-known reference case 1 (PV system 5 kWp and power consumption of 5,010 kWh p.a.), thus taking into account changes in modern building stock as a result of electromobility and future-oriented heating systems.

DC-coupled and AC-coupled battery systems were evaluated for these two reference cases. In terms of new PV system installation with battery storage, the trend, initiated by PLENTICORE, is clearly moving towards DC-coupled systems. When retrofitting batteries to existing PV systems, on the other hand, there are many reasons to opt for an AC connection.

The PLENTICORE inverter series from KOSTAL can be used flexibly both for DC-coupled battery connections and for the AC-coupled systems preferred when retrofitting. KOSTAL solutions are among the TOP 3 in each of these disciplines.

Benefits for you

Save on electricity costs

Low acquisition costs

Protect the environment

Always get perfect advice, with KOSTAL hybrid and battery inverters

KOSTAL offers the perfect application solution both for new PV system installations and for retrofitting existing systems.

PLENTICORE plus hybrid inverter

The PLENTICORE plus hybrid inverter has already won several consecutive awards as best in test and most efficient storage system among all tested systems (AC- & DC-coupled) at the 2018 and 2019 Energy Storage Inspections.

It was also the first all-in-one inverter to receive an award from pv magazine for the most innovative business model. This is because the customer only pays for the battery function, which can be enabled with an activation code, when they need it.

Perfect for large load profiles

The DC-coupled storage system from KOSTAL and BYD is also a convincing offering in the reference case for higher energy requirements, which was tested for the first time in 2020. The PLENTICORE plus combined with the BYD battery was placed on the winners' podium with two device classes (8.5 kW and 10 kW) and an SPI of 92.9 % each.

To the PLENTICORE plus

PLENTICORE BI battery inverter

With an SPI of 90.1 %, the PLENTICORE BI battery inverter with the BYD battery was persuasive in the 5 kWp reference case and is therefore the perfect choice for simply connecting a storage unit, especially when retrofitting existing photovoltaic systems in the home. It's not necessary to exchange or replace existing components.

Efficiency winner for high energy demand

Among AC-coupled storage systems, the PLENTICORE BI 5.5, with an SPI of 92.5 %, is ahead in the high energy demand reference case (10 kWp). In combination with different sizes of the BYD battery, the battery inverter occupies two top 3 places.

The PLENTICORE BI is therefore also perfectly suited for use in business applications thanks to the connection of battery storage units in sizes from 5.1 to 66 kWh.

To the PLENTICORE BI

Efficiency expertise for single-phase storage systems as well

Benefit from KOSTAL's system competence with single-phase inverters from the PIKO MP plus series.

Time and again, KOSTAL shows how to provide fresh impetus in the sector. All our innovations aim to produce long-term customer benefits! These benefits result from our many years of experience with battery applications and a deep understanding of the systems in the field of inverters.

So now you can also benefit from KOSTAL's system competence with single-phase inverters from the PIKO MP plus series. When combined with the KOSTAL Smart Energy Meter, the single-phase devices can be used flexibly as solar, hybrid or battery inverters in the 1 to 5 kW power range.

To the PIKO MP plus

With our innovative inverter series, we're pursuing our aim of covering a very wide range of applications with just a few products. We offer solutions for battery integration in new installations as well as for the retrofitting storage units in existing systems. This means that we probably have the most complete range of storage solutions for the home on the market. That we got the top results documented in the latest Energy Storage Inspection for this wide range of applications is a great confirmation our engineers' system competence.

Frank Henn

Vice President Business Unit Photovoltaics, KOSTAL Industrie GmbH

Why is the efficiency of storage systems so important?

What you should consider when choosing your inverter and why the System Performance Index plays an important role.

As well as offering potential savings on electricity costs, efficient storage systems also contribute to climate protection. After all, reducing CO2 emissions depends largely on the efficiency of the system. Therefore, highly efficient PV storage systems can produce CO2 savings compared to a PV system without battery storage. When choosing your storage system, you should therefore consider not only the individual components, but also how the inverter and battery interact because efficient systems allow storage losses to be kept as low as possible.

What is the System Performance Index?

The study identifies the System Performance Index (SPI for short), which produces an economic value that describes how much could be saved in electricity costs a year when using the PV storage system in question. The SPI is calculated from the real cost saving over the ideal cost saving. An ideal system with no losses whatsoever would produce an annual saving of €1,211 and would therefore have an SPI of 100 percent. KOSTAL’s highly efficient system is therefore only just over €100 shy of an ideal system under real conditions. A house consuming 5,010 kilowatt hours of power a year and fitted with a five kilowatt solar system provides the reference for the ideal system.

The SPI was conceived to allow the way in which the components (inverters/batteries/PV modules) available on the market interact in an overall system to be compared and therefore to improve transparency for the customer.