Dive Brief:

• Solar panel maker SunPower plans to sell batteries to residential customers within a few years, according to SunPower CEO Tom Werner. “In the near term, we’re driven by policy,” Werner said. “In the long-term it’s economics.”
• SunPower is considering batteries for the California, Australia and Germany markets. The batteries would let customers use energy at night that was created during the day, threatening utility sales, Werner said.

Dive Insight:

SunPower is a step behind SolarCity, which plans to offer Tesla batteries to customers next year. Even so, combining solar panels and energy storage would help smooth out power demand in California. The California Independent System Operator has warned about overproduction during the day and steep ramps in load starting in the late afternoon as shown in the so-called Duck Curve.