Myenergi's Zappi uses surplus solar generation to charge electric vehicles, offering a boost to self-consumption. Image: Myenergi.
Myenergi has signed its latest distribution deal with Midsummer Wholesale as the distributor continues its plans for post-subsidy solar business models in preparation for the feed-in tariff’s end in 2019.
The Zappi electric vehicle charger uses smart technology to match an electric vehicle’s charging to the available surplus electricity from a property’s solar PV installation.
With the FiT closing to new installations at the end of March next year, Midsummer has already begun seeking out new opportunities to come from the change in the financial proposition of residential solar. As well as roof-integrated PV, EV charging is one area the company anticipates will become increasingly important in the future, particularly when used to boost self-consumption of solar.
Tom Livesey, operations manager at Midsummer, explained: “Domestic solar needs to be able to stand on its own two feet [but] it is very hard to make the economics work unless you can maximise self-consumption.
“Where PV array owners have an electric vehicle sitting in the drive – and rapidly increasing numbers do – it makes perfect sense to divert the exported electricity into the EV by using a Zappi to throttle the charge rate to match the available surplus.
“The system is also intelligent enough to then divert power into an immersion controller when the battery is full, to maximise self-consumption even further.”
The deal represents the latest positive sign for Myenergi, which recently installed a new electronics production line at its Lincolnshire manufacturing site to scale up production of its charger. The company has also bolstered its headcount to meet high demand for the product, both in the UK and overseas, after landing £1.2 million of investment back in January.
Image: Myenergi.
Speaking about the new deal, Jordan Brompton, business development manager at Myenergi, said: “We are delighted to announce that Midsummer will become a distributor for our products. Establishing a link with a company boasting not only consistent domestic and commercial credentials but experience and expertise in the solar industry is key towards the development of our project.
“Like ourselves, Midsummer are deeply passionate about sustainability and self-consumption. To have the opportunity to be associated with an organisation who share our beliefs on developing and endorsing environmentally-friendly products can only be a positive."
Owing to the popularity of the product lead times of just a few weeks remain, with Midsummer expecting its large initial order around the third week of June.
Both Midsummer and Myenergi will be showcasing the smart EV charger at their stands at the forthcoming Solar and Storage Live in Birmingham in October.