Almost every storage datasheet you will read says “CE certified”. Almost none of them say whether the unit can legally push power back into a distribution network. Those are two different questions, and confusing them is the most expensive mistake in this industry.
Two Certifications That Sound Similar and Are Not
| CE marking | Grid-code certification | |
|---|---|---|
| What it proves | The product is electrically safe, does not emit excessive interference, and contains no banned substances | The product can be connected to a distribution network and will behave in a way the network operator requires |
| Governing standards | LVD 2014/35/EU, EMC 2014/30/EU, RoHS 2011/65/EU | EN 50549-1/-2, VDE-AR-N 4105, G98/G99, CEI 0-21, AS/NZS 4777.2 |
| Who checks it | Self-declaration plus a test lab report | An accredited lab, then the network operator |
| What happens without it | You cannot legally sell the product in the EU | You cannot commission a grid-connected system |
| Applies to batteries? | Yes | No — it applies to the inverter |
That last row is the one people miss. Grid codes regulate the inverter, because the inverter is what interfaces with the network. A battery is a DC device. It has no opinion about the grid.
Why This Matters More Than It Sounds
A storage system that cannot export is not a defective product. It is a product designed for a different job. The problem is that the datasheet rarely tells you which job, so buyers assume the wrong one and discover the truth during commissioning — after the container has landed, after the electrician has been paid, and after the feed-in tariff application has been rejected.
The question is never “is it certified?”. The question is “certified for what?”
What a Non-Export System Can Still Do
- Carry loads through an outage with a 10 ms transfer
- Store solar production and discharge it in the evening, as long as nothing flows back to the grid
- Clip a demand peak behind the meter
- Run a site with no grid connection at all
- Replace a dead battery in a system whose inverter is already certified
In most of Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America, that list covers the entire requirement. Grid export is a European and Australian problem, and it is a problem only if you are selling into a market with a feed-in tariff.
Three Legitimate Routes If You Need Export
- Buy a certified inverter locally and use an uncertified battery behind it. The certified assembly is the inverter. Swapping the battery does not change it, provided the voltage window and communication protocol are unchanged. This is the cheapest route and the one we support most often.
- Work through a local EPC who holds the certification for the assembled system and will accept the equipment under their own declaration. They carry the liability and the paperwork; you carry the equipment cost.
- Wait for the manufacturer to complete the grid-code certification. Realistic timeline for a new market: 6–18 months and a five-figure test budget. Do not plan a project around a certificate that does not exist yet.
What to Ask a Supplier
Four questions, in this order. A supplier who cannot answer the first one clearly is not worth the other three.
- Which grid-code certificates does this product hold, and in whose name?
- Does the certificate cover the inverter, the battery, or the assembled system?
- Can you send me the certificate number so I can verify it with the issuing body?
- If my network operator rejects it, what is your remedy?
Our Position
ABAXEN products hold CE (LVD, EMC, RoHS), IEC 62619 and UN38.3. They do not hold EN 50549, VDE-AR-N 4105, G99 or CEI 0-21. We say so on the homepage rather than on page 14 of a datasheet, because a customer who finds out late costs both of us more than a lost order.
If your project needs grid export in the EU or UK, we are the wrong supplier and we will tell you on the first call.
Check Your Project Against Our Certification
Tell us the country, the grid operator and the certificate the tender requires. We will confirm in writing whether we can meet it.