Tag: battery safety

Cheaper battery prices can have unforseen consequences

Posted on by Linda

 

There are many things to take into account when looking at an energy storage battery for your home or business. These include safety, performance, operating temperature as well as recyclability and environmental impact.

Unfortunately many people only look at the initial purchase cost of batteries and this is what they use to compare different batteries. This doesn’t take into account what a battery may cost them over its lifetime or the cost to the environment of both the battery’s manufacture and end of life disposal. To make a realistic comparison of a battery’s cost you need to consider its full “cradle to grave” impact on all areas, including its safety during operation and its environmental impact. Continue reading “Cheaper battery prices can have unforseen consequences” →

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” →

Climate Change and the Victorian Bushfire Threat

Posted on by Linda

 

Climate change is increasing the risk of bushfires in Victoria and lengthening fire seasons.

  • Extreme fire weather has increased since the 1970s in the east and south of Australia, including Victoria, with the fire season length extending from October to March.
  • Climate change is now making hot days hotter, and heatwaves longer and more frequent. Drought conditions have been increasing in Australia’s southeast.
  • Climate change is driving an increase in dangerous fire weather, which in turn is increasing the frequency and severity of bushfires.

 

Continue reading “Climate Change and the Victorian Bushfire Threat” →

Kinglake Grand Designs – Domestic Case Study using SoNick batteries

Posted on by Linda

Kinglake Grand Designs

Domestic Case Study using SoNick batteries

Application – Off-grid
Location – Kinglake, Victoria
System Objective  – The client had lost his previous home on Black Saturday so the solar and storage system must survive and operate at extreme temperatures. It also fits with the ethos of a home with sustainability as its cornerstone.
Commissioned  – May, 2015
Installed PV  – 5 kW
Useable battery storage  – 15.36 kWh
Designed and installed by –  Ian Conibeer, Energy Connections

Kinglake Grand Designs house

Background

Continue reading “Kinglake Grand Designs – Domestic Case Study using SoNick batteries” →

Lithium-ion battery storage may be banned inside Australian homes

Posted on by Linda

Lithium-ion battery storage devices – including Tesla Powerwalls and other products – may be effectively banned from being installed inside homes and garages in Australia under new guidelines being drafted by Standards Australia.tesla powerwall 2

The move, if upheld, is likely to send shockwaves through the industry, with thousands of Australian households, including prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, already installing lithium ion battery storage devices and millions more predicted to do so in coming years.

Standards Australia, a voluntary body that draws on expertise from the industries involved and key stakeholders, is expected to release the draft guidelines in the next week or so. But news of its proposals has already leaked, causing concern that the decision could bring the industry to a halt. Continue reading “Lithium-ion battery storage may be banned inside Australian homes” →

Are batteries guilty as charged?

Posted on by Linda
Very interesting article from Ecogeneration based on CSIRO report that raises many of the questions about the lack of standards in the battery storage industry that we have been talking about. The lack of standards, particularly around fire risks of lithium ion batteries means safety can become a serious issue. It is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

 

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Worldwide, the use of energy storage from renewable sources is rising, as more countries commit to renewable energy targets and attempt to reduce costs. As an example, Australia has experienced remarkable growth in installations of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in recent years. Energy storage technologies are the next logical step; once they are sufficiently available at the right price point, they are likely to have a similar market penetration to solar PV.

The present lag in scientific understanding of battery energy storage systems at the domestic and small commercial level is contributing to a clear gap in policy development for battery storage best practices. The difference in pace between the development of standards versus the technology is likely to be a significant policy issue on a global scale. Continue reading “Are batteries guilty as charged?” →

Posted on by Linda

CPat---Power-security

 

For many people the need to protect themselves from power outages is becoming a more and more common occurrence and it is not unusual for it to take days for the power to be reconnected, particularly if you are not on a main line and other lines take priority.

 

Sometimes people lose power due to storm damage to power lines but often it is power being cut off by power companies so that they can do maintenance on the lines. Continue reading →