Environmental organization criticizes idea of using home batteries

Home batteries are not a good idea for most homes, public information organization Milieu Centraal thinks. The investment is still “risky” according to the organization, even with batteries that react to changing electricity prices and usually recharge when the price is low. Milieu Centraal also added that the home batteries are not very sustainable.

Home Batteries are in demand, partly due to the government's intention to abolish the so-called netting scheme for solar power in 2027. This measure will make it less lucrative for people with solar panels to give power back to the grid. Excess energy can be stored with a home battery in situations where the sun shines brightly, and solar panels generate more than a household consumes at that time.

“The production of the type of home battery that we see, the LFB battery, costs a lot of energy and critical raw materials,” said energy expert Deborah Klaasen in an advice to consumers. “If many homes acquire such a home battery, it will cause significant difficulty for the environment.”

Milieu Centraal sees many downsides to the batteries. For example, on sunny days, the average home battery still cannot store all the "surplus" electricity, and in winter, solar panels often generate too little power to fully charge the battery. That "limits the usefulness" of these types of batteries.

The Vereniging Eigen Huis (VEH), which is the Dutch Home Owners Association, is currently working with 14 homeowners to look into “what the home battery can mean for homeowners now and in the future.” During the test, they will look at financial and practical issues like the sound that the devices make.

VEH also points out that the payback period for home batteries is currently "longer than their lifespan." According to a study by CE Delft, it will remain difficult to recoup the investment within a reasonable period of time, even after the abolition of the net metering scheme.