The U.S. solar industry is fiercely growing. More than 32 GWdc of solar capacity was added in 2023, a 51% increase over 2022, making it a record-setting year across the residential, commercial & industrial, and utility segments. As solar deployment continues, battery storage will be critical to turning cheap but variable clean energy production into a reliable resource. Solar-plus-storage will enable affordable, clean, resilient power. However, supply chain challenges and high prices stand in the way of progress if solar contractors and EPCs can’t obtain the batteries and other equipment needed to get these projects up and running.

Seeing the need for better solar procurement, Sunhub offers the batteries, inverters, panels and other components you need to complete projects, whether you’re helping to provide resilient power for tens of thousands or simply looking to be self-sufficient. 

Solar-plus-storage is growing in 2024

Policies, increasing utility rates and extreme weather events are driving solar-plus-storage across all markets.

• Residential: Residential solar-plus-storage deployment was 13% greater than 2022 largely due to sales backlogs, especially in California in light of NEM 3.0. The state’s public utilities commission approved a tariff that drastically lowered net metering rates for new state customers, giving homeowners an incentive to store their solar power for their own use instead of selling back to utilities. 
• Commercial & Industrial: While C&I hasn’t seen the level of growth of residential solar-plus-storage, energy storage offers this market enticing reductions in operating costs by avoiding peak demand charges and high electric bills. 
• Utility: Grid-scale energy storage is driving the market as utilities and large power users look for solutions to improve reliability. The segment is expected to account for 83% of total installations by 2027.
• DIY: With increasing extreme weather events and volatile, expensive grid power, many homeowners are choosing to install their own battery backup to provide peace of mind by preserving their power needs. 
• Top states: California has the most installed battery storage capacity with 7.3 GW, followed by Texas with 3.2 GW due to their growing solar and wind deployment.

With the solar-plus-storage market on track for another record-setting year, solar buyers and sellers will need to work together efficiently to manage inventory and meet demand for the benefit of both parties. 

Solar battery procurement challenges

While the supply chain constraints of 2021 have eased a bit, procuring the right battery at the right price on time is still a challenge for many solar contractors. Uncertain sales forecasts and possible long lead times can make it especially difficult for residential installers to balance inventory with projects. Batteries also have a limited shelf life so manufacturers and distributors need to keep stock moving. High interest rates on top of already pricey batteries also limit the number of projects that pencil out. Increasing demand currently cannot be supported with domestic refining and manufacturing making the battery supply chain a central concern for the U.S. market. Procurement remains challenging for solar components across the board. Electronic chip shortages have delayed solar inverters, and panels faced investigations for circumventing antidumping and countervailing duties. What’s more, the process of sourcing solar components alone has traditionally been cumbersome. Sellers and buyers use different language, such as selling in solar panel quantity when contractors want to buy in Watts. Additionally, solar buyers often struggle to obtain quotes and other manufacturer information, find inventory and arrange logistics and warehousing for their projects. At the same time, sellers are looking to offload inventory.

Sunhub’s creators identified this industry gap and saw the need for a trading platform to serve the solar market. Beginning with solar panels, Sunhub is now excited to offer customers supply chain solutions for batteries and inverters as well. 

Sunhub solar battery supply chain solutions

Sunhub facilitates better-priced, efficient transactions between solar installers, EPCs, distributors, manufacturers and the DIY community. Our sales and operations teams work with clients in a manual sense, communicating between buyers, sellers and other necessary project parties to get the deal done. On a more transactional level, our Solar Trader Platform also serves as an e-procurement tool to make shopping for components automated and efficient with available inventory and pricing information until buyers are ready to talk with a human being.

Sunhub buyer benefits include:

• Easy quoting, bidding and buying all in one platform
• Manufacturer and distributor-direct negotiations
• Available inventory of new and used products with real-time pricing
• Shopping and purchasing by the Watt with optional partial ordering
• Advanced project planning with forthcoming inventory information
• Warehousing and logistics support

Sunhub seller benefits include:

• An additional sales channel for expanded customer reach
• Help selling excess inventory
• Better production planning with pre-sale orders
• Reduced quoting and automated contract generation 
• Easier transactions by bringing your business online
  

Sunhub has a diversified selection of new, used and refurbished inverters and batteries from major suppliers. Solar shoppers can browse power optimizers or solar inverters by string and microinverter categories. Batteries are also listed by chemistry including lithium-ion, lead-acid, nickel-cadmium (NiCad) and nickel-iron (NiFe).

Don’t see what you need on the Solar Trader Platform? Our team is available to help you find what you’re looking for. If it’s out there, we can help you get it.

Not sure how to implement a battery in your own home solar system? We can help motivated individuals design their DIY projects on HelioScope software.

Our relationships with suppliers allow us to bring extra inventory to you for great deals, helping reduce the high costs associated with batteries and other equipment. With new battery stock becoming available every day, Sunhub can alleviate your solar battery procurement pain and make sure you have the components you need to meet increasing solar-plus-storage demand and ensure your home’s power resiliency.  
Shop our Solar Trader deal listings today or reach out to learn more about how we can help.