Key Insights from James Allston speaking with Peter Pogracz on the Soliverse Podcast

‍

Our co-founder and co-CEO James Allston recently sat down with Peter Pongracz, host of the Soliverse podcast, to discuss the complexities of commercial and industrial battery sizing and the critical importance of taking a holistic approach to energy system design. 

‍

In this insightful conversation, James shared practical strategies for moving beyond traditional solar-first thinking to embrace “feasibility-first” selling  to clearly showcase financial value early in the sales process, and better deliver on unique customer needs.  ‍

‍

Watch the full podcast interview below:

‍

‍
Ready to transform your approach to battery sizing? Book a demo with our team to see how Orkestra can revolutionise your project feasibility analysis.

Key Takeaways

‍

1. Batteries Are Active Assets That Require Strategic Control

‍

‍Unlike solar panels, which passively generate value when the sun shines, batteries must be actively controlled to create value. This fundamental difference changes everything about how we approach sizing and deployment.

‍

"Solar is a passive asset... whereas with a battery, a battery is an active asset. It must be actively controlled. If you take a AA battery and you put it in a torch, it is not until you go ‘click’ with the switch that the magic happens."

‍

Understanding this distinction is crucial for anyone moving from solar-only installations to integrated energy systems. The value creation happens through sophisticated control algorithms that optimise when to charge and discharge based on market conditions, tariff structures, and site-specific needs.

‍

2. Solar Self-Consumption Alone Won't Cut It in Europe

‍

Many installers assume that storing excess solar energy for later use will justify battery investments. However, with typical European feed-in tariffs around 6-7 Euro cents and import rates around 20 cents, the arbitrage differential falls short of the 20-cent threshold.

‍

"So the optimal size for a battery doing just solar self-consumption in that application is zero. Do not install a battery. Solar self-consumption batteries rarely stack up in Europe."

‍

‍So, when do batteries stack up?

‍

Success requires building a comprehensive value stack that includes demand reduction, dynamic tariff optimisation, and potentially grid services participation. Single-value applications simply don't generate sufficient returns.

‍

3. Tariff Optimisation Can Double Project Value

‍

Moving customers from flat-rate tariffs to dynamic or time-of-use (TOU) tariffs can dramatically improve battery economics by creating larger arbitrage opportunities throughout the day.

‍

"It's common now that when we're supporting customers to think about modeling batteries and sizing batteries, that actually what we need to do is shift the whole site from whatever tariff they are on today, to a tariff that gives a much better price signal."

‍

This insight transforms the sales conversation from purely technical discussions about equipment to strategic consultations about optimising the entire energy supply arrangement.

‍

4. Think Load Shaping, Not Energy Storage

‍

‍The most successful commercial battery applications focus on reshaping load profiles to reduce costs during expensive periods and increase consumption during cheap periods, rather than simply storing energy for later use.

‍

"A battery energy storage system is actually there to do load shaping... What you're trying to do is you're trying to reduce the load at times when it's expensive to use energy. And you're trying to increase the load at times when it's not as expensive."

‍

This perspective shift helps installers identify opportunities they might otherwise miss and explains why battery sizing can't rely on simple rules of thumb like those used for solar installations.

‍

5. Feasibility-First Selling Is The Key

‍

Companies that lead with comprehensive feasibility analysis and consultative selling achieve dramatically higher conversion rates than those competing primarily on price.

‍

"We have customers in Australia that claim they can have an 80% close rate... because they do so much qualification upfront of the customer through Feasibility First and so much consultation with the customer."

‍

This approach transforms the sales process from a commodity transaction to a trusted advisory relationship, commanding premium pricing while delivering superior customer satisfaction.

‍

Final Recommendation

‍

The commercial battery market represents enormous opportunity, but success requires abandoning traditional solar-first approaches in favour of comprehensive systems analysis. Companies that master feasibility-first selling, understand value stack construction, and can optimize across solar, storage, and tariff selection will dominate this emerging market.

‍

Ready to dive deeper into Feasibility First selling and tariff optimisation strategies? We explored these concepts in detail during our recent webinar, sharing practical frameworks for unlocking battery revenue streams through strategic tariff selection and comprehensive feasibility analysis. Watch our Webinar: Selling Batteries Starts with Electricity Tariffs to see real-world examples of how the right tariff can make or break your battery project economics.

‍

Orkestra's feasibility modelling software helps businesses size and value commercial and industrial energy projects, including community battery applications. Founded four years ago with a strong presence in Australia and New Zealand, Orkestra expanded into Europe six months ago and is rapidly growing in the UK and German markets.
‍

Ready to gain a competitive edge in commercial energy storage by Start your free trial today and discover how feasibility-first selling can transform your business