Contemplating a residential battery system for the Southwestern U.S.

Battery manufacturers are offering electric energy storage options for homeowners with the target buyers being those residences with distributed generation such as photovoltaics. This study examines the period required to recoup the investment in such a battery storage system if the buyer is able to take advantage of time-of-use electricity plans offered by various utilities in the southwestern U.S. Present costs capital costs remain too high to achieve a net return within a reasonable timeframe.