Image: So Energy.

Challenger supplier So Energy has launched a solar and storage offering called the So Energy Solar System.

The company will install solar panels and a battery into customers homes, remotely controlling and optimising the system. In doing so, they will factor in protected home energy consumption, weather data and wholesale energy prices, as well as carbon intensity and grid capacity.

It says that in doing so it can use the system to benefit both the customer and the grid, using smart controls to either charge or discharge the battery when there is the greatest gain.

At the moment, the So Energy Solar System is being run in beta mode with just a handful of customers testing it. But it is set to be rolled out to new and existing customers over the coming months.

The launch of the new service comes as the energy company surpasses 200,000 customers, quadrupling its customer base in two years.

Simon Oscroft, co-founder of So Energy, said the company was set up five years ago to provide “great value renewable energy with simple, clear and outstanding service” and that he’s “really proud of how far we’ve come”.

“But we want to go further. As well as supplying more customers with 100% renewable electricity, we want to do more to help households in the UK get to net zero and gain their energy independence. That’s why we’ve launched So Energy Solar System.

“This enables customers to generate up to 70% of their own electricity and export any excess electricity back to the grid without needing to control it themselves, saving them money, saving them hassle, and cutting their carbon in the process.”