Tag: solarstoragebatteries

Not all battery inverters are equal

Posted on by Linda

With the installation of energy storage systems most people look at the battery and concentrate on that but in reality the battery inverter is an integral part of any energy storage system and will dictate much of the energy storage systems operations.

Often when an energy storage system isn’t working properly the fault lies with the inverter and not the battery.

Inverter power is measured in kVA or volt amps.

The battery inverter takes power from the solar PV array (solar inverter or MPPT) and battery which can be of different voltages and converts it to 240V for household of business use.

Solar inverters are designed to work with solar PV arrays and battery inverters are designed to work with energy storage batteries. Hybrid inverters are also coming onto the market that combine both solar PV and battery conversions.

Continue reading “Not all battery inverters are equal” →

SoNick battery BMS or Battery Management System

Posted on by Linda

Some Energy storage batteries have a built-in BMS or Battery Management or Monitoring System to monitor how a battery operates and how it talks to the grid. This is an electronic system that manages a batteries function by protecting the battery from operating outside its “Safe Operating Area” both for the batteries health and to prevent any accidents that the battery could cause by malfunctioning.

The internal BMS monitors and controls all charging and safety aspects of the battery. The BMS will also keep you informed of the state of the battery so you can monitor the batteries health.

When integrated with other SoNick batteries the SoNick BMS synchronises the operation of the battery bank so that all batteries work together as one large battery. Continue reading “SoNick battery BMS or Battery Management System” →

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 →

Batteries balance energy loads

Posted on by Linda

Battery-load-balancing

 

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.

This is definitely a market that is set to thrive in 2016 and following years, however not all batteries are the same.  Most battery suppliers won’t tell you the downside of their batteries and will only tell you the things that are most likely to sell their batteries, so you need to ask questions and compare batteries. Continue reading “Batteries balance energy loads” →

Portable energy trailer

Posted on by Linda

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Grid Edge has developed its own plug and play smart energy trailer storage solution to replace the need for diesel generators at events and festivals. This means you can supply power to your event without any diesel fumes or noise normally associated with generator use.

The trailer uses the Sodium Nickel Chloride battery technology and has all the components necessary to make it a completely portable power source. It also has solar panels incorporated to keep the batteries power topped up during the day.

  Continue reading “Portable energy trailer” →

A battery’s lifetime depends on how it is used

Posted on by Linda

Energy-Storage-Lifetime

 

Energy storage batteries have a reputation for being difficult to look after and keep running optimally and this was definitely true of the traditional lead acid technology, however things have changed in the field of energy storage batteries. Although some battery technologies still have a number of risk factors that can effect their longevity not all batteries have the same operating restrictions.

 

However, there are a number of things that can still affect a batteries life which is one reason most battery manufacturers are reluctant to give long warranties. If you know what these risk factors are and you keep your energy storage battery working within them then a battery will usually last a lot longer than it’s warranted period.

Continue reading “A battery’s lifetime depends on how it is used” →