Panasonic Eco Solutions of North America and Pika Energy today introduced a significant upgrade to the Harbor Smart Battery portfolio with the Harbor PlusTM Smart Battery, now the solar industry's most powerful and efficient smart battery with 17.1 kilowatt hours (kWh) of capacity and real power output of up to 10 kilowatts (kW). Additionally, the Harbor Plus Smart Battery now delivers 21 percent more energy and 30 percent more peak power than the next leading home smart-battery solution,1 enabling homeowners to extend solar power longevity, better manage energy around peak-rate periods and withstand off-grid scenarios at a more cost-effective price per kWh of storage.

Panasonic and Pika Energy first co-developed the Harbor portfolio of residential smart batteries in 2017, and less than a year later, the companies are introducing upgraded capacity with the premium Harbor Plus as well as the entry-level Harbor FlexTM to deploy more power, efficiency and capability than any other solar smart batteries available on the market.1

"The solar industry faces the reality of certain maximum energy density, pushing the market to deliver innovative and disruptive solar solutions to a quickly growing consumer base," said Dan Silver, vice president, Panasonic Eco Solutions North America. "We are excited to once again partner with Pika Energy to deliver an industry-leading solution in the Harbor Plus Smart Battery, outpacing competitors to expand solar power capacity and capability, ultimately providing customers with freedom from grid dependence."

The solar-ready Harbor Plus Smart Battery is powered by six Panasonic Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) battery modules connected in series for built-in redundancy. This robust design coupled with 17.1 kWh of usable energy and up to 10 kW of power can support homeowners for long-term grid outage and off-grid scenarios, and can also power heavy equipment such as well pumps and air conditioning units.

Paired with the Pika Energy IslandTM – an award-winning single-inverter solution for grid-tied and off-grid solar-plus-storage – the Harbor Plus Smart Battery offers solar system owners enhanced and expanded features, including:

• Self-supply Mode, which maximizes self-consumption of stored energy captured by solar panels – such as Panasonic solar modules HIT® – to reduce the home's dependence on the grid
• Zero-export Mode, a subset of self-supply mode that prevents any solar energy from transferring to the grid, enabling homeowners to reduce grid dependence as well as remain in compliance in states where exporting solar power to the grid is prohibited, like Hawaii  
• Time-of-Use Capability, helping homeowners who live in areas with time-of-use rate policies, such as California, efficiently manage solar power and reduce costs with an optimized schedule that reduces or eliminates grid use during peak-rate periods 
• Clean-backup Mode, which stores clean solar energy in the smart battery for use when the grid is disrupted. Load transfer is instantaneous, taking as little as 1/60th of a second.
• Priority-backup Mode, which charges the smart battery from the grid at the full capacity of the system, allowing homeowners to prepare for an expected grid outage such as in the event of an impending storm
• Dark-start Capability, with the ability for Pika smart batteries to commission without the grid and restart using only solar power should the batteries exhaust their reserve energy; as compared to other solar storage systems that require on-site service from a technician to jump-start dead batteries.

"With this energy capacity upgrade, the Harbor Smart Battery is now firmly cemented as the industry's performance leader," said Kristen Helsel, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Pika Energy. "No other residential smart battery solution can match the power, efficiency and capability that Pika and Panasonic offer with the Harbor Plus Smart Battery, and the Pika Energy Island platform."

The Harbor Plus and Flex Smart Batteries are now available through a national network of distributors in the U.S., including Puerto Rico and Canada. When used in conjunction with the Pika Energy Island and Panasonic solar modules HIT®, installers can offer homeowners a premium, industry-leading solar-plus-storage solution.1

1. The Harbor Plus Smart Battery has an energy capacity of 17.1kWh and can supply >10kW for 5 minutes.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Newark, NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is a leading technology partner and integrator to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the region. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and leverages its strengths in Immersive Entertainment, Sustainable Energy, Automated Supply Chains and Connected Solutions to provide secure and resilient integrated solutions for B2B customers. Panasonic was highlighted in Forbes Magazine's Global 2000 ranking as one of the Top Ten Best Regarded Companies for 2017. The ranking is based on outstanding scores for trustworthiness, honesty with the public and superior performance of products and solutions.  Learn more about Panasonic's ideas and innovations at na.panasonic.com.

About Pika Energy, Inc.
Pika Energy, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of U.S.-made direct current (DC) power electronics. Headquartered in Westbrook, Maine, Pika Energy's award-winning products include bi-directional islanding inverters, battery power converters and solar optimizers. All Pika Energy products are powered by the REbus™ DC Nanogrid. Pika Energy's products enable building owners to collect, store and self-consume energy from clean sources. Learn more at http://www.pika-energy.com.