The primary purpose of my trip to this key European exhibition is to find out more about developments in demand response and micro-grids. I do have a list of companies I want to see, which I will cover in my Intersolar 2018 Day 2 post.
Here is the best of what captivated me on Day 1:
- Mobile battery packs for use in transport. No more excuses about charging times and range…
- 2kW Wind turbine for installing on the edge of roofs. A newurban energy generation source to supplement solar?
- All in one sleek battery packaged units, designed for maximum self-consumption and minimum reliance/dependence on the grid
It is very clear that e-transport is the next big development in Europe and that can be seen throughout the expo as there are chargers to meet any battery charging schedule.

Big German car manufacturers such as Mercedes showcase their presence and innovation at Intersolar 2018.

Well known battery manufacturer Varta enters the residential energy storage market

Electric vehicle chargers

Electric scooter
There are a huge number of packaged battery systems on display. So far two developments have captured my attention. Firstly, the well-established battery manufacturer Varta has entered this space, which will certainly shake up the market.

Skeleton super-capacitors: with a stated one million charge-discharge cycles, this technology is looking to make waves in stationary storage applications, as the cycling and rate of charge/ discharge is hard to match.
Secondly, the increased number of packaged units using super-capacitors. I saw this technology in use in storage applications for the very first time in Melbourne at All Energy 2017.

Huge development in building integrated solar panels leads to this very creative fresh look by Kioto Solar
Intersolar 2018 in Munich demonstrates that concept visions I’ve seen in my past visits have been realised into products, soon to become part of our daily life.