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- Robin@lemmy.worldEnglish2 days
I have both already in Belgium, they’re great. The solar production and power usage in my townhouse were too low for a hardwired battery to make economic sense. But with plug in batteries the installation cost is basically 0 so you can get smaller sized batteries. The 5kwh one we got is plenty to cover from sundown to the next day, even if we decide to run a wash or something.
And then we already had regular solar panels. But the price of the plug-in ones was so low that we decide to build a rain shelter for our bikes out of wall-mounted solar panels. Close to the same price and made out of metal and glass instead of wood and plastic.
- 2 days
This might sound dumb, but I want a battery that will charge and discharge but will not allow power out to the grid. Makes it safe and prevents discharging it for some greedy power company’s benefit.
discharging it for some greedy power company’s benefit.
The benefit is not limited to the power company while we are transitioning away from fossil fuels. The more battery capacity is on the grid, the less fossil fuels need to be kept online when the sun is down. This benefits us all
If you have a variable rate, it also put shifts your usage patterns more favorably for pricing
- bountygiver [any]@lemmy.mlEnglish2 days
It might justify for a new standard for the main power box that can support these plug-in power sources.
- Robin@lemmy.worldEnglish2 days
Mine is configured like that. Technically it could feed back to the grid but it doesn’t
no, removing grid connection requirements should be next.
If I don’t consume energy from the power company I shouldn’t have to be connected or pay them a cent.
- 2 days
Plug in batteries, let kill line workers while they try to get your power back on. Like those nubs that have a genset and no ATS/isolation.
Worse the batteries don’t make sound like a genset. 18hr shift, hungry, don’t sniff the line and now a lineman is dead. All so you could keep the refrigerator cold… If you have a power bank/genset learn to throw the main breaker not to back feed the utility.
- 1 day
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.
- Robin@lemmy.worldEnglish1 day
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.
- 2 days
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.
1 dayThese 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.
- 1 day
These batteries aren’t designed or built for whole home backup,
Didn’t say that, reread my posts.
It all back feeds w/o a disconnect. Its called electrons. Those fuckers love to find ground.
- Robin@lemmy.worldEnglish1 day
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
- 2 days
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.
- Robin@lemmy.worldEnglish2 days
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
- 2 days
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!
- Robin@lemmy.worldEnglish2 days
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
- 2 days
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…
