Tag: Battery

How much battery capacity do you need?

Posted on by Linda

 

When people start looking at energy battery storage one thing they often ask is I have “x” kW solar on my roof at the moment, how much battery storage do I need?

This isn’t an easy question to answer and there definitely isn’t a one size fits all answer. If someone tries to sell you a battery without asking about your lifestyle and what your needs are then walk away. Chances are they are just trying to sell you their battery and not really working towards what is best for you. The cheapest battery upfront may turn out to be more expensive in the long run if the battery technology isn’t matched to your needs.

The amount of storage isn’t really related to the amount of solar you have on your roof (although it is definitely part of the equation) but it is more to do with how much power you use on a daily basis, how long you want backup power for and what appliances you want to operate from the battery. Continue reading “How much battery capacity do you need?” →

So much conflicting information on battery storage

Posted on by Linda

 

When consumers go online to compare different batteries there is so much conflicting information available it is very difficult to get a clear picture of what is available and to understand what is happening in the industry. What is important is you compare similar products and don’t just listen to what salespeople are telling you.

If a product has been in use for a number of years the quoted figures are more likely to be reliable than if a product is new and hasn’t yet been tested in real life conditions. Generally batteries are tested in factories at 25 degrees. This can produce different results than are experienced in real life when temperatures vary widely.

Currently there are no relevant battery standards in Australia Continue reading “So much conflicting information on battery storage” →

What is your Energy Storage Battery Size?

Posted on by Linda

 

Energy storage batteries come in a variety of different sizes and weights and each have different characteristics. Here is a comparison of some of the most common batteries currently available in Australia with comparisons of size for a similar sized 20kWh system. You can see from this image that size is not necessarily a good indication of the power that is available to be used in a battery installation. Some batteries have much better energy density than others with the FIAMM SoNick battery having the best energy density of all, although some of the newer lithium ion batteries also have a very good energy density..

If you have a lot of suitable space to store your battery this may not be relevant but if you are limited in space you may want to consider one of the more energy dense batteries. If there is a possibility of moving house you may want to take into account the battery size as well as its weight if you want to move it with you. Continue reading “What is your Energy Storage Battery Size?” →

Why do people look at battery storage?

Posted on by Linda

With battery storage set to grow in the next few years there are many people that are interested in looking at this technology but there are also a wide variety of reasons that people are doing so.

Up until now most people that have used batteries to store their energy have been those that have been in situations where it was not possible, either for economical or proximity reasons to connect to the electricity grid. However, there are now many more reasons that people are considering battery storage and many more questions people are asking about the batteries they are looking at.

Over the last 5 – 10 years there has been a big push to install rooftop solar panels to capture electricity to use on the building the panels are installed on. This was encouraged by governments as they introduced feed-in tariffs to encourage people to install solar. This was so successful, as the general public took up these offers that governments soon decreased the feed-in tariffs and now they are extremely low or non-existent, depending on your state. Continue reading “Why do people look at battery storage?” →

Do your homework before purchasing batteries

Posted on by Linda

Do Your Homework A4

One of the biggest problems with the efforts to use renewable energy to produce large amounts of the energy consumed on a daily basis has been its inability to reliably supply power at the times it is most needed. This can and will be addressed with the installation of battery systems that allow households and businesses to store renewable energy for use in peak periods. Continue reading “Do your homework before purchasing batteries” →

Quantum Sodium Nickel battery system – Renew magazine

Posted on by Linda

Quantum-unitMost energy storage systems use lead-based or lithium based batteries, but there are other, lesser known technologies that work as well or better than the popular chemistries.

One of those chemistries is the Sodium Nickel Chloride battery manufactured by FIAMM in Switzerland, which uses sodium and nickel metals with a solid ceramic electrolyte, with the entire battery running at around 270 °C! While this sounds scary, it is a well developed and mature technology with high efficiency and long cycle life, making it idea for domestic and commercial energy storage systems.

The Quantum smart energy storage system from Grid Edge uses a FIAMM Sodium Nickel battery to store energy for load shifting, backup power and self-consumption of solar power generation. The system, designed and made in Australia, is available in 9.6 and 19.2 kWh usable storage capacities (basically the same unit with either one or two battery modules), has a 4.5 kW continuous/9 kW peak inverter and a cycle life of 3000 to 4500 cycles at 80% DOD. Shelf life is rated at greater than 20 years! System operating temperature range is -40 °C to 60 °C, making it ideal for use in extreme climates. Both battery and system are warranted for five years and the battery units are 100% recyclable.

Article by Lance Turner taken from Renew Magazine – Issue 136 Continue reading “Quantum Sodium Nickel battery system – Renew magazine” →

High Embodied Energy of SoNick battery

Posted on by Linda

John-discussing-the-FIAMM-SoNick-battery

John describing some of the features of our Sodium Nickel Chloride battery at a recent display.

This was a local sustainability group that already had a degree of knowledge of alternative energy solutions and the SoNick battery met with a lot of interest.

Amongst other things, people were impressed with the very high embodied energy contained in the small footprint of the battery with 10 Kw in a battery of only 55 cm x 50 cm x 32 cm.

Although this battery id the premium size for the domestic market that wants to become energy independent the sodium nickel technology is also available in smaller capacities and sizes for people that would just like to offset some of their power.

Continue reading “High Embodied Energy of SoNick battery” →

Sodium Nickel and other Battery Technologies

Posted on by Linda

Recently GridEdge showcased our FIAMM SoNick battery to the Traralgon sustainability group and Ian Conibeer gave a To_Store_Or_Not_To_Store-Traralgontalk about the Sodium Nickel battery and many of its characteristics as compared to other batteries currently available in Australia.

Among other things people were impressed with the fact that the FIAMM SoNick battery is 100% recyclable and operates effectively, without any battery deterioration from -20° to +60°C which makes it a much better alternative to other batteries in Australia’s extreme weather conditions.

 

Continue reading “Sodium Nickel and other Battery Technologies” →

Discussing the SoNick battery

Posted on by Linda

Discussing-the-SoNick-battery

Ian and John with the 9.6 kW SoNick battery on display. The SoNick battery has no toxic materials or gasses, either in its manufacture or use which is a big advantage over most of the other energy storage batteries currently available. It also is 100% recyclable with a recycling program already in place which is a definite advantage to people that are environmentally conscious which is the case with most early adopters of energy storage. Continue reading “Discussing the SoNick battery” →