Anker SOLIX Solarbank 2 Pro
The Anker SOLIX Solarbank 2 Pro is the most practical battery expansion for UK plug-in solar owners. Unlike whole-home batteries that require inverter integration and a qualified electrician, the Solarbank sits between your plug-in kit and the wall socket — charging from solar generation during the day and releasing into your home's circuits during the evening. It's the missing piece for anyone who generates well but isn't home during daylight hours.
Pros
- No electrician required — connects directly between your plug-in solar kit and the wall socket
- 1.6kWh LFP capacity extends self-consumption from daytime-only to early evening
- Works with any plug-in solar kit including EcoFlow STREAM and Anker SOLIX RS40P
- Smart bypass when full — excess generation passes through to the grid rather than being wasted
- Anker app integration gives unified monitoring of generation and storage
- UKCA certified and compliant with current UK wiring regulations
Cons
- 1.6kWh is modest — won't shift your entire evening consumption, just the peak of it
- Adds cost to a system that may already be near payback limit for some buyers
- Physical size means it needs a clear wall space indoors or in a weatherproof enclosure outside
- App requires account creation — no local-only monitoring option
The fundamental limitation of a basic plug-in solar kit is timing. You generate between roughly 8am and 4pm in winter, 7am and 7pm in summer — but UK household consumption peaks in the evening, when generation has stopped. The Anker SOLIX Solarbank 2 Pro exists to close that gap.
How it works
The Solarbank 2 Pro sits in-line between your solar panels and your wall socket. During the day, solar generation charges the 1.6kWh LFP battery first. Once full (or when you've set your target charge level), excess generation passes through to your home's circuits as normal. In the evening, the Solarbank discharges its stored energy into your home at your configured rate — typically set to match your baseline household consumption to avoid export.
The smart bypass feature means you're not losing generation when the battery is full. Unlike simpler storage systems that just stop charging, the Solarbank passes excess through, so a sunny July afternoon doesn't leave you wasting peak generation.
Installation
This is the key advantage over whole-home batteries. No electrician. No inverter compatibility check. No DC cabling. The Solarbank connects between the solar kit output and a standard UK socket. The Anker app walks you through configuration in about fifteen minutes. It's genuinely plug and play in a way that whole-home batteries are not.
The financial case
At around £599–£699, the Solarbank 2 Pro adds a meaningful cost to a system that might already be at £419–£499 for the kit itself. The additional annual saving from storage depends heavily on your usage pattern — households where all occupants are out during the day benefit most. In a best-case scenario (all generation stored, all discharged into evening peak consumption), the additional saving is around £80–£120/year, giving a combined system payback of four to five years.
The verdict
If you have a plug-in solar kit and you're regularly out during the day, the Solarbank 2 Pro is the logical next step. It's not cheap, but it's the only practical battery expansion for plug-in solar that doesn't require an electrician or inverter upgrade. For the target audience — renters, flat dwellers, and homeowners who can't justify a full hybrid system — it's the right product.
