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Germany's SMA says device to store solar energy can cut bills
SMA Solar, Germany's largest solar company, is launching an battery set that will allow households to store surplus daytime solar energy for use in the evening, cutting energy bills.
German households pay some of the highest prices in Europe for electricity because they pick up much of the cost of subsidizing cleaner energy production.
SMA Solar, which is up against fierce Asian competition, says it can help owners of solar panels use more of their self-generated power.
SMA Solar Academy
It is Germany's largest solar company and the world's largest maker of solar inverters, a component that helps to feed solar-generated energy into the electricity grid.
The company says its combined inverter battery will give a four-person household up to three hours of extra energy during the evening. The device will go on the market in the second half of this year.