In brief:
- Four models stand out for a solar battery installation in 2026: Murfy (integrated, DualSun panels and a Huawei or Sigenergy physical battery, panels from 6,000 euros including tax excluding the battery), Beem Energy (French manufacturer, modular physical Beem Battery from 5,990 euros), Otovo (marketplace, solar-and-battery kit from 10,445 euros) and MyLight (virtual battery subscription from 12.99 euros a month, no hardware at all).
- Two battery families compete: the physical battery (Murfy, Beem, Otovo) genuinely stores electricity on site against an upfront investment, while the virtual battery (MyLight) credits the sold-back surplus without any installation.
- Batteries remain a minority option on the residential market: in the first quarter of 2026, Enedis connected 31,565 photovoltaic installations in France, of which only 4,922 included a battery, or 16 percent of the total.
- The choice comes down to a trade-off between investment and service: owned equipment amortized over several years with Murfy, Beem or Otovo, or a monthly cost with no commitment with MyLight.
Comparing solar installations with a battery in 2026
| Criterion | Murfy | Beem Energy | Otovo | MyLight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Integrated installer, salaried technicians | French manufacturer-installer, plug and play kits | Marketplace, around 80 partner RGE-certified installers in France | Virtual battery provider, no equipment installed |
| Battery type | Physical, Huawei and Sigenergy brands | Physical, Beem Battery designed in Nantes with Ampace and CATL | Physical, brand not disclosed by the site | Virtual (MySmartBattery), subscription-based service |
| Capacity | Not published separately, sized on a quote | 6.6, 10 or 13.4 kWh, modular in tiers | Published examples: 5 kWh and 10 kWh depending on power | 20 to 100 kWh of virtual capacity, adjustable |
| Price | Panels from €6,000 incl. tax (3 kWc), battery quoted separately | Battery alone from €5,990 (6.6 kWh), pack with panels from €7,990 | Solar-and-battery kit from €10,445 | Subscription from €12.99/month (20 kWh) to €40/month (100 kWh) |
| Warranty or commitment | 3-year Performance Pack, production guarantee beyond a 5% gap | 15-year battery warranty (6,000 cycles at 60% capacity) | Warranty depends on the partner installer chosen | No commitment, adjustable capacity, cancel any time |
| Verdict | Single salaried point of contact from quote to maintenance | Best entry price on a modular physical battery | Most complete combined kit documented in one purchase | Only option with no upfront equipment investment |
This comparison uses four objective criteria: the type of battery offered, its capacity, its price and the warranty or commitment terms. The data comes from each player’s published offers in 2026. Battery type, physical or virtual, comes first because it determines whether the household invests in hardware or pays for a recurring service.
Why the battery question keeps coming up
A solar battery installation answers a simple problem: panels mostly produce during the middle of the day, while most households consume more in the evening. Without storage, this mismatch forces the surplus produced at noon to be sold back at a low rate, only to buy electricity back from the grid a few hours later.
A battery, whether physical or virtual, tries to fix this mismatch by raising the self-consumption rate, meaning the share of solar output actually used on site rather than sold back or bought back.
The market is still far from widespread adoption, though. In the first quarter of 2026, Enedis’s network recorded 31,565 connected photovoltaic installations for 1.4 GW of added capacity, of which only 4,922 projects included a battery.
“In the first quarter of 2026, 4,922 projects out of 31,565 connected photovoltaic installations included a battery, or 16 percent of all connections for the quarter.” Enedis, Q1 2026 connection data
Physical battery or virtual battery: two opposite logics
The choice is not just about price. It commits to two different financial logics.
| Criterion | Physical battery | Virtual battery |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront investment | Several thousand euros (equipment and installation) | No equipment to buy |
| Recurring cost | None after purchase, aside from upkeep | Monthly subscription for as long as the service is active |
| Ownership | The household owns the equipment | No equipment owned, service can be cancelled |
| Surplus value | Real storage, released in the evening from the installed battery | Surplus fed into the grid is tracked and credited later through the subscription |
| Example | Murfy, Beem Energy, Otovo | MyLight |
So it is not only the solar battery installation itself that varies from one player to another, but the very nature of what is being bought: hardware with the first three, a service with the fourth.
Murfy: panels, battery and installation by salaried technicians
Murfy is a French company founded in 2018, originally focused on repairing and refurbishing large home appliances, before expanding into heating maintenance and then residential solar. On its solar offer, the company states that installation is carried out by its own salaried technicians, with no partner tradespeople involved.
The battery is one of the three pillars presented as the backbone of the solar offer, alongside panels and the EV charging station. Murfy states that “storage batteries are becoming standard when installing solar panels because they offer real comfort of use and strong returns,” with Huawei and Sigenergy brands.
Key features of Murfy’s offer
- Panels: French DualSun brand, Huawei, Sigenergy, APS or Enphase inverters depending on the project.
- Panel pricing excluding battery: from 6,000 euros including tax for 3 kWc, 9,000 euros for 6 kWc, 12,500 euros for 9 kWc.
- Post-installation follow-up: 3-year Performance Pack, maintenance visit every 18 months, weekly production monitoring, production guarantee with compensation beyond a 5 percent gap after one year.
- Documented coverage areas: published installations in the Grand Est region and in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
The point to watch is the price of the battery itself, which is not published separately from the panels: unlike Beem Energy or Otovo, no dedicated price list is displayed, the battery’s sizing and cost being set on a case-by-case quote.
Beem Energy, Otovo and MyLight: three other ways to store solar power
The three other players compared address the same need with distinct business models.
Beem Energy, a French company designed in Nantes, first built its reputation on plug and play solar kits before launching its own physical solar battery, the Beem Battery. Available in three capacities, 6.6, 10 and 13.4 kWh, it relies on technology developed with Ampace and CATL, two recognized players in lithium-ion batteries, with an announced 15-year warranty for 6,000 cycles at 60 percent residual capacity. Sold alone from 5,990 euros, it rises to 7,990 euros in a pack including Beem On panels.
Otovo, a marketplace of around 80 partner RGE-certified installers in France, manufactures nothing itself but assembles kits combining panels and a physical battery, with two published examples: a 3.4 kW installation paired with a 5 kWh battery, and a 6 kW installation with a 10 kWh battery. The solar-and-battery kit starts at 10,445 euros, the battery brand not being publicly disclosed since, according to the platform, it “selects the best on the market” rather than committing to a single supplier.
MyLight occupies a separate position with its MySmartBattery offer, a virtual battery with no physical equipment at all. The subscription starts at 12.99 euros a month for a 20 kWh capacity and rises to 40 euros a month for 100 kWh, the stored energy then being consumed at no additional cost, with the company stating that “everything is included in the subscription, no surprises.” The service requires no commitment, and capacity can be adjusted upward every month and downward every year.
Which solar battery installation to choose based on your profile
You want a single point of contact from quote to maintenance
For a household that prefers dealing with a single company for both panels and battery, Murfy’s integrated offer remains the most consistent, with a 3-year Performance Pack covering follow-up after installation. Since the battery price must still be requested case by case, a detailed quote is needed before any direct price comparison with the other players.
You want the best entry price on a physical battery
With a Beem Battery starting at 5,990 euros for 6.6 kWh, Beem Energy offers the most documented entry point for a standalone physical battery, with the option to add panels later thanks to its modular architecture.
You want an already sized solar-and-battery kit
Otovo publishes concrete power-to-capacity pairings, such as 6 kW for 10 kWh, which simplify the choice for a household that does not want to size its own installation. This ready-to-install logic echoes what other solar installers already offer, as detailed in our comparison of the best solar installer, where the level of pre-packaged sizing clearly separates the offers.
You do not want to invest in hardware
For a household that already has panels installed, or is hesitant about the investment of a physical battery, the MyLight subscription allows testing an increase in self-consumption without buying equipment, with adjustable capacity and no length-of-term commitment.
Mistakes to avoid before buying a solar installation with a battery
- Confusing the price of the panels with that of the battery, when at Murfy the battery is not included in the panels’ headline price and is quoted separately.
- Choosing an oversized capacity, for example opting for a 13.4 kWh Beem Battery without having checked the household’s actual evening consumption profile.
- Dismissing the virtual option on principle, when a subscription like MyLight’s can suit a household that wants to test self-consumption without tying up several thousand euros.
- Forgetting follow-up after installation, a point Murfy formalizes with its 3-year Performance Pack, as our article on solar panel installation and maintenance explains, where post-installation follow-up clearly separates the offers.
- Overlooking the installation’s scalability, since adding an EV charging station later usually requires the electrical sizing to have been planned from the initial installation of the panels and battery.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy the best home solar installation with a battery?
Four approaches coexist in 2026. Murfy offers an integrated installation with DualSun panels, Huawei or Sigenergy inverters and a Huawei or Sigenergy physical battery, fitted by salaried technicians, starting at 6,000 euros including tax for 3 kWc excluding the battery. Beem Energy, a French manufacturer, sells its own physical, modular Beem Battery (6.6, 10 or 13.4 kWh) from 5,990 euros, with a panel-and-battery pack from 7,990 euros. Otovo, a marketplace of around 80 partner RGE-certified installers, offers a turnkey solar-and-battery kit from 10,445 euros. MyLight sells neither panels nor a physical battery but a virtual battery subscription, from 12.99 euros a month for 20 kWh of capacity. The choice mostly comes down to one criterion: investing in physical equipment with Murfy, Beem or Otovo, or opting for a service with no upfront investment with MyLight.
What is the difference between a physical battery and a virtual battery?
A physical battery, such as those installed by Murfy, Beem Energy or Otovo, is an electrochemical storage unit fitted at the home, which captures the solar surplus produced during the day to release it in the evening. It represents an upfront investment of several thousand euros but remains the household’s property. A virtual battery, such as MyLight’s MySmartBattery, relies on no installed equipment at all: the surplus fed into the grid is tracked by a supplier and credited back later as consumed kWh, billed at zero euros thanks to a monthly subscription. It removes the equipment investment but generates a recurring cost for as long as the subscription stays active.
How much does a solar installation with a battery cost in 2026?
At Murfy, a panel installation starts at 6,000 euros including tax for 3 kWc, 9,000 euros for 6 kWc and 12,500 euros for 9 kWc, with the Huawei or Sigenergy physical battery quoted separately on request. At Beem Energy, the Beem Battery alone starts at 5,990 euros for 6.6 kWh, and a pack combining panels and battery from 7,990 euros. At Otovo, a solar-and-battery kit with a physical battery is advertised from 10,445 euros, with two published examples: 3.4 kW with a 5 kWh battery, and 6 kW with a 10 kWh battery. At MyLight, there is no equipment to buy: the virtual battery subscription starts at 12.99 euros a month for 20 kWh, up to 40 euros a month for 100 kWh.
Do you need a physical battery to install solar panels?
No. A photovoltaic installation works perfectly well without any battery: the unconsumed surplus is simply sold back to the grid at the going feed-in rate. A battery, physical or virtual, is only useful to increase the self-consumption rate, meaning the share of solar electricity actually used by the household rather than sold or bought back. In the first quarter of 2026, only 16 percent of the photovoltaic installations connected by Enedis in France included a battery, which shows it is an option rather than a technical requirement.
What battery capacity should you choose for your home?
Capacity depends on the installation’s power output and the household’s evening consumption pattern. Beem Energy offers its Beem Battery in three tiers, 6.6, 10 and 13.4 kWh, designed for typical 3 to 9 kWc residential installations. Otovo documents consistent power-to-storage pairings, such as 3.4 kW with 5 kWh or 6 kW with 10 kWh. On the virtual battery side, MyLight lets customers adjust capacity upward every month and downward every year, from 20 to 100 kWh, with no prior technical survey since no equipment is fitted.