Tag Archives: solar battery

Storage may be a game changer for the grid

Posted on August 24, 2016 | Leave a comment

In a fast-developing industry teeming with technologies that promise to be the next big thing, energy storage appears to be the biggest.

Its supporters not only sing its praises but also tout what they say is its inevitability.

“We’re going to have 10 times as much energy storage on the grid by the end of this decade and that is going to impact every facet of the energy industry,” said Matt Roberts, executive director of the Energy Storage Association, an industry trade group.

But the electrical grid is a harsh taskmaster.

What is it?

Energy storage technology takes on a lot of different forms.

The most prominent is pumped hydro, in which water is pumped uphill behind dams and then released, with the ensuing rush of water generating power.

Pumped hydro is the biggest source of energy storage in the U.S., accounting for 96 percent of the industry’s total storage capacity.

But chemical storage — as in batteries — may be the source people are most familiar with, especially given the media attention that inevitably accompanies any announcement by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Another Battery Company if you want to go off grid

Posted on August 4, 2016 | Leave a comment

battery

A North Hollywood operation has been quietly beating Musk and Tesla when it comes to selling residential electricity storage batteries.

Sonnen Inc., which emerged on the world stage half a dozen years ago in Bavaria, Germany, has sold 13,000 residential storage batteries worldwide at a current pace of about 900 a month. U.S. sales, managed out of the Sonnen’s American headquarters in North Hollywood, account for about a quarter of the monthly tally.

Tesla is still ramping up Powerwall production but delivered 2,500 Powerwall systems worldwide in the first three months of the year, according to a May shareholder letter. Sonnen sold 2,600 residential batteries during the same period, a company record.

“Elon Musk has the name,” said Boris von Bormann, chief executive of Sonnen Inc. He didn’t bother to stifle a grin as he added: “Yes, we are the leader.”

With little fanfare, Sonnen rolled out its U.S. operations less than a year ago and opened the Southern California office in January. The company already has expanded its offerings to include commercial electricity storage, which should be ready for delivery by the end of the year.

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Off the grid living with solar panels and battery system

Posted on June 8, 2016 | Leave a comment

Tips for off-grid living

Monitor your home’s energy use with an inexpensive monitoring solution from OWL Intuition, Efergy or Solar Analytics. A company can interpret this data to determine the best off-grid products for your home. Note: these are Australian companies.
Work with companies that offer a range of technologies and have a track record of installing batteries.
Look for inverters that have charge controllers or battery management units already built in (usually called hybrid inverters).
Take a tour of an off-grid home for a first hand insight into the lifestyle.