Plug-in batteries could help millions more households access the bill-saving benefits of home energy storage. With plug-in solar now on the way, Regen argues that the government should make plug-in batteries next.
Then what’s the point? Hardwired batteries require physical gates that prevent backflow; so how do these work during an outage?
Edit: Thinking on the problem… is it only to allow for storage of locally generated solar, for use at off-peak hours? It seems odd too me that solar panels + battery, while staying connected to the main line, is economically feasible compared to central solar provided over the main.
Indeed, it’s mainly for storing solar electricity.
Grid scale power generation and storage are more efficient and effective. Yet the consumer solar and battery market is booming. There’s lots of factors at play. People already own their roofs. They pay a premium on using grid power vs commercial users. It’s an easy and relatively safe way to invest your own money, etc…
And then the batteries follow the solar panels. If grid operators would manage their own batteries and pay us properly for the energy we put into the net, then privately owning a battery would not make sense.
Good to know if shore power goes down it doesn’t back feed. Not to be that guy but now I have to roll my fridge back to get the plug to get power back on?
In my limited world I would want to put in an ATS/hard breaker so I can power the essentials w/o killing lineman. Kill (open) the main breaker, close the alternate breaker and your gtg off a sub panel.
These batteries aren’t designed or built for whole home backup, they can’t produce power when the grid is down (some have dedicated sockets for you to draw power from like a normal battery but they don’t back feed). All the scenarios you’re thinking of why these are bad are already accounted for.
The disconnect is a relay built into the battery and managed by it. Just like solar panels, the inverters for those could also backfeed if they weren’t managed
Keep in mind these batteries were initially designed for the european market where plug in solar is legal and regulated. Power outages are extremely rare in Europe. I’ve personally never experienced a single power outage in my life here in Germany.
These batteries don’t allow you to provide your house with backup power, because no one in Europe cares about that and wants to spend thousands extra for a setup that would allow backup power to the house.
Yeah that’s the downside of plug-in batteries. Most have a few sockets on the device itself that work as backup power. But they intentionally don’t provide backup power for the whole house
Or even more insane is if the house was to draw power from a 15amp line. Never tested a breaker in reverse, I assume it will pop but drawing 100 amps+ on a 15 amp line would be a recipe for disaster…
I had one house that had a 600 amp mains. Guy who owned it prior was a welder, fucking insane breaker cabinet!
Yeah you need to check your house’s wiring diagram to know where a good spot is to plug it in. But in Belgium there’s a legal limit of 2.5kw draw on these things, so you have to fuck up pretty bad to do serious damage
I love disconnects, big ole Square D lever and I’m happy. Getting ready to build my house, it will be a marvel of too much time, money, and industrial know how.
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These batteries turn off when they don’t see mains power
Then what’s the point? Hardwired batteries require physical gates that prevent backflow; so how do these work during an outage?
Edit: Thinking on the problem… is it only to allow for storage of locally generated solar, for use at off-peak hours? It seems odd too me that solar panels + battery, while staying connected to the main line, is economically feasible compared to central solar provided over the main.
Indeed, it’s mainly for storing solar electricity. Grid scale power generation and storage are more efficient and effective. Yet the consumer solar and battery market is booming. There’s lots of factors at play. People already own their roofs. They pay a premium on using grid power vs commercial users. It’s an easy and relatively safe way to invest your own money, etc… And then the batteries follow the solar panels. If grid operators would manage their own batteries and pay us properly for the energy we put into the net, then privately owning a battery would not make sense.
Good to know if shore power goes down it doesn’t back feed. Not to be that guy but now I have to roll my fridge back to get the plug to get power back on?
In my limited world I would want to put in an ATS/hard breaker so I can power the essentials w/o killing lineman. Kill (open) the main breaker, close the alternate breaker and your gtg off a sub panel.
These batteries aren’t designed or built for whole home backup, they can’t produce power when the grid is down (some have dedicated sockets for you to draw power from like a normal battery but they don’t back feed). All the scenarios you’re thinking of why these are bad are already accounted for.
Didn’t say that, reread my posts.
It all back feeds w/o a disconnect. Its called electrons. Those fuckers love to find ground.
The disconnect is a relay built into the battery and managed by it. Just like solar panels, the inverters for those could also backfeed if they weren’t managed
Keep in mind these batteries were initially designed for the european market where plug in solar is legal and regulated. Power outages are extremely rare in Europe. I’ve personally never experienced a single power outage in my life here in Germany.
These batteries don’t allow you to provide your house with backup power, because no one in Europe cares about that and wants to spend thousands extra for a setup that would allow backup power to the house.
Yeah that’s the downside of plug-in batteries. Most have a few sockets on the device itself that work as backup power. But they intentionally don’t provide backup power for the whole house
Or even more insane is if the house was to draw power from a 15amp line. Never tested a breaker in reverse, I assume it will pop but drawing 100 amps+ on a 15 amp line would be a recipe for disaster…
I had one house that had a 600 amp mains. Guy who owned it prior was a welder, fucking insane breaker cabinet!
Yeah you need to check your house’s wiring diagram to know where a good spot is to plug it in. But in Belgium there’s a legal limit of 2.5kw draw on these things, so you have to fuck up pretty bad to do serious damage
I love disconnects, big ole Square D lever and I’m happy. Getting ready to build my house, it will be a marvel of too much time, money, and industrial know how.
I would build it out like this…
https://youtu.be/XgYMrySNl2Q