Mercedes-Benz bringing home battery storage to California

Mercedes-Benz, however, has been selling battery systems in Europe and South Africa since early this year, according to The New York Times.

For Vivint, it will be the first time the company has integrated battery storage with its solar power systems. Mercedes' home batteries, on the other hand, have a smaller capacity of 2.5kWh, and customers can scale a total of eight of them for a more modest 20kWh.

Mercedes-Benz Energy has made a lot of noise about its new energy storage units for the home, but Americans keen to get their hands on a set have been left wanting since the product was unveiled previous year.

Homeowners can use the battery packs to store solar energy in order to use at night or when grid rates are higher, or they can also use the system for backup energy in case of a power outage.

Vivint Solar, a leading provider of residential rooftop systems, has tried many things over the years to gain an edge on the competition.

Solar and energy storage prices are highly dependent on your market (electricity cost, gov incentives, etc.) and your property.

The modular nature of the system allows Vivint to customize systems specifically for each customer.

Vivint Solar is one of the three largest residential solar installers in the US, though it trails SolarCity, which Tesla acquired late past year. The more important benefit is reduced energy consumption and costs. Solar specialists like Vivint and its peers have enough confidence in that future, though, to secure their storage partners now.

Boris von Bormann, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz Energy Americas, said the new venture presents two big opportunities for the automaker.

"An energy storage system will allow you to have an electric vehicle and self-produce that electricity for the electric vehicle", von Bormann said in an interview. "We look forward to bringing this innovative solution to consumers, beginning in our California markets, and to empowering greater renewable energy usage".

Tesla's SolarCity has firmly placed itself at the forefront of the residential solar power solutions market, and now that it has come under the umbrella of Musk's company, it will probably continue to grow even faster. Starting in Q2, California customers will be able to buy the offering outright or finance the purchase. The company is utilizing lithium-ion technology it has developed for its expanding electric and hybrid vehicle offerings. Mercedes-Benz is a well know company that's been around for almost a century and Vivint puts its customers first they explained. The storage options will first be introduced in California and then to the other states where Vivint is now operating. As for those who want to go the whole hog, it will cost a cool $13,000.