![]() ![]() ![]() Ultimately, you’ll wind up with whichever type of battery best fits into the design you settle on with your contractor. LFP batteries, being less energy-dense, need to be somewhat larger for a given capacity, but they are less sensitive to heat generation and may have higher charge-discharge cycles. ![]() And the use of cobalt, in particular, is of some concern, since its production has been tied to illegal and exploitative mining practices. They also may have lower lifetime charge-discharge cycles. But they are more sensitive to the heat generated during charging and discharging (they have a lower flash point, or ignition temperature, and thus in theory are more susceptible to what’s called thermal runaway fire propagation). (The odd initialism comes from an alternative name, lithium ferrophosphate.) NMC batteries are the more power-dense of the two, as they are physically smaller for a given storage capacity. Less common (and a more recent development) are LFP, or lithium-iron-phosphate, batteries. ![]() The more common ones are NMC, or nickel-magnesium-cobalt, batteries. Lithium-ion battery chemistry is complex, but there are two main types used for solar. Late in the process, just for fun, I joined a call between an installer and my brother and sister-in-law (prospective solar and battery buyers in Texas), to hear what kinds of questions a pro asked them (and vice versa) about planning a new installation. (EnergySage vets installers, who can then pay a fee to be included on the company’s list of approved contractors.) In an effort to provide a breadth of views as well as depth of knowledge, I sought out installers in areas of the country not always seen as solar-friendly, as well as those of diverse backgrounds, including one who focuses on providing solar power to impoverished rural communities. So to give myself a crash course in solar battery storage, I spoke with more than a dozen sources, including the founders or executives of six battery manufacturers five highly experienced installers, from Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, and Illinois and the founder of EnergySage, a respected “ unbiased solar matchmaker” that offers free and detailed advice to homeowners on all things solar-related. (Just brace yourself for sticker shock.)īefore I began this guide, my only experience with solar power was getting zapped by sun-powered cattle fences on a ranch in the high desert. Here’s how you can set it up for your home. For utilities, such installations promise a more stable and lower-carbon electrical grid in the near future. That’s why residential solar power combined with battery storage (once an esoteric niche industry) is rapidly becoming a mainstream disaster-preparedness choice, according to more than a dozen installers, manufacturers, and industry experts we interviewed.įor homeowners, multi-kilowatt batteries that charge from rooftop solar panels promise resilience in the event of a natural disaster-a reliable, rechargeable, instantaneous source of electricity to keep important devices and appliances running until the grid comes back online. With increasingly intense weather knocking the power grid offline for days at a time in some regions, traditional fossil-fuel–based backup systems-namely portable or permanent generators-seem increasingly unreliable. Everyone’s looking for a way to keep the lights on when the power goes out. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |