SolarEdge: From a UK trial to flexibility across markets and borders

SolarEdge makes some of the most widely installed solar and battery systems in the world. They build hardware that's smart and connected by design. So when SolarEdge and Axle started working together, we set out to unlock as much of that potential as we could for their customers.

What began as a single UK trial in 2023 has now grown into a partnership across multiple markets and countries.

UK: a series of firsts

The UK is where the partnership started, and where it continues to grow.

It began in 2023 with a trial in the Demand Flexibility Service. This was one of the first times domestic batteries had been pooled to deliver flexibility of this kind in the UK. Not long after, Axle made SolarEdge systems some of the first batteries in the country to trade directly in the wholesale market.

Those systems now sit inside Axle's Virtual Power Plant, earning across a range of flexibility markets on owners' behalf. Today, every domestic battery owner in Great Britain can join, straight from the mySolarEdge app.

None of this works without installers, so we brought them along too. Webinars and ready-made marketing packs give them the materials to talk to customers about the VPP with confidence. The referral programme means every sign-up puts money back in their pocket.

France: unlocking commercial solar curtailment and more

With the UK model proven, the partnership crossed borders. In France, the opportunity is different: the first focus is commercial and industrial (C&I) solar curtailment.

With the growth of solar capacity in France, the grid sometimes can’t absorb all the solar output, for instance when demand is low in the summer months. Large commercial solar sites are able to curtail their export to the grid, without affecting their feed-in-tariff revenues. Axle manages that curtailment automatically and compensates the site owner for taking part, turning a constraint into a source of value. SolarEdge is now launching with Axle as its first flexibility partner in France, starting with C&I curtailment and with residential batteries to follow.

Beneficial for the entire ecosystem

There’s value on every side. Owners turn a system they've already paid for into something that automatically earns, while doing their bit to support the grid and better integrate renewables. Installers gain a new revenue stream and the ability to differentiate themselves, earning on every customer they refer. SolarEdge gets hardware that's worth more to its customers and stands out from the crowd, without any extra kit to ship. And the grid gains thousands of fast, responsive assets that soak up clean power and take the strain off peak demand, displacing gas in the process.

What we've built with Axle isn't a one-market solution. It's a repeatable playbook. Anywhere SolarEdge has hardware on the ground, we can now deliver more value to the people and businesses who own it, and more flexibility to the grids that need it.‍
Ohad Portnoy, Global Director of Grid Services at SolarEdge

About SolarEdge

SolarEdge is a global leader in smart energy technology. Its solar inverters, power optimisers and battery storage systems are installed in homes and businesses around the world, with over a million systems across Europe.