Energy rules need to be changed to ensure households that don't embrace new technologies such as battery storage and solar photovoltaic systems are not left picking up the bill, federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says.
As state and federal leaders prepare to discuss energy issues at next week's Council of Australian Governments meeting, Mr Frydenberg said the National Electricity Market had to change to adapt to the influx of new technologies such as wind and solar.
But he said while battery storage and PV systems were being embraced by some households and businesses, governments had an obligation to make sure non-solar/battery households were not slugged with the bill.
"While solar PV and battery storage can offer significant benefits to households and the network as a whole, it is important to get the pricing framework right, otherwise some households will be unfairly forced to pick up the tab for other people's choices," Mr Frydenberg said in a speech to the Australian National University's Energy Change Institute in Canberra on Tuesday.
Generous state feed-in tariffs for rooftop solar PV systems over the past decade – where solar households were subsidised to sell energy back into the grid – led to spike in electricity prices as network charges were passed on to non-solar households in the form of higher power bills. This led to state governments closing solar schemes or limiting them to new entrants.
Creating challenges
Mr Frydenberg said while consumers were "hungry" for new and more affordable technologies – such as battery storage or "neighbour to neighbour trading" – they were changing the way the NEM operated.
"This is creating challenges for fairly sharing the costs of supplying electricity," he said.
Mr Frydenberg said the state-wide black out in South Australian in September showed the challenges facing the NEM and the need to ensure the move towards renewables did not affect energy security.
While other countries around the world also faced the move from fossil fuels to lower emissions technologies, Australia's geographic isolation made it even more challenging, he said.
Other countries such as Germany, where wind and solar accounted for 20 per cent of the nation's energy needs, could tap into the wider European grid when the intermittent power was not operating at full capacity.
"This allows them to overcome some of the security and reliability challenges arising from a higher mix of intermittent renewables in the electricity system," Mr Frydenberg said.
Energy security
"Where Germany has far more options to manage its electricity supply through a wider European grid, the NEM is isolated. In Australia the challenge of balancing differing loads from the integration of intermittent renewable generation has to be managed much more closely and with fewer options."
The Finkel review into energy security, chaired by chief scientist Alan Finkel, is looking into how non-synchronous generation such as wind and solar can provide stable electricity supply, including the 50 hertz required for proper frequency, in the NEM.
A preliminary report from the Finkel review will be delivered to next week's COAG meeting, with the final report due in the first half of 2017.
Read more: http://www.afr.com/news/politics/josh-frydenberg-on-who-will-pick-up-the-battery-storage-tab-20161129-gszvgu#ixzz4ROM6w0Yi
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- Solar Energy Battery Storage Wholesale Supplies
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Battery Storage Sector May Be In Early Stages Of Mass-Market Uptake In Australia
A community-based program to encourage
the uptake of solar and battery storage in Australian homes and
businesses has been so successful that the promoters believe the battery
storage sector may be in the early stages of mass-market uptake.
A
bulk-buy campaign led by Suncrowd has attracted thousands of people at
roadshows in regional towns in New South Wales in the last few months,
and translated into what its organizers believe might already be the
largest coordinated community energy project Australia.
So far, five community groups working
with the program have attracted 3,500 people to events
in Newcastle, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, Shoalhaven, Goulburn and
the Southern Highlands, delivering a projected 700 kW of solar and 1.5
MWh of battery storage.
Another 500 people turned up at a second
meeting in Wollongong on Tuesday night and similar numbers are expected
in the Blue Mountains tonight.
Suncrowd’s Chris Cooper says the
response has been so strong that it shows that people are clearly ready
for the next stage of the energy transition – by adding affordable
energy storage and smart energy software to their solar system. It may
even signal the start of the early “mass market” uptake of the
technology.
Suncrowd describes itself as a social enterprise “creating a movement
of Australian households who want to take the power back into their own
hands.”
It says its community bulk buy program, which makes solar and batteries easy, accessible and at lower prices – overcomes the complexity and lack of trust that can dog such transactions.
“People want it delivered in a transparent, engaging and easy to understand format,” Cooper says, “and the community sector has a key role in facilitating this if we’re to increase uptake of important new energy technologies”
It says its community bulk buy program, which makes solar and batteries easy, accessible and at lower prices – overcomes the complexity and lack of trust that can dog such transactions.
“People want it delivered in a transparent, engaging and easy to understand format,” Cooper says, “and the community sector has a key role in facilitating this if we’re to increase uptake of important new energy technologies”
Incumbent utilities should be worried.
Firstly, they have long assumed that the uptake of battery storage would
be a slow burn, and wouldn’t take off – apart from a few early adopters
– until the “economics make sense.” When the economics do make sense,
the big retailers assume that most consumers will go to a recognised
name.
But Suncrowd’s Chris Cooper says many
consumers aren’t waiting for the numbers to add up, or for the big names
to get their act together. In New South Wales, this is being driven by
frustration with renewable energy policy and the fact that the “60
cent-ers”, the 140,000 households on the solar bonus scheme, are about
to lose their premium tariffs.
Community energy programs are also gaining traction. The “Repower” program that
funds solar installations on local businesses has now raised nearly
$500,000 for more than 300kW of rooftop solar, including a $140,000 fund
raising that was met in less than 48 hours his week.
In Byron Bay, the community-owned renewable energy retailer Enova is also gaining traction, attracting more than 1,000 customers in its first few months of operation.
And there is growing interest in
programs and technology that encourages households to share their solar
output with other consumers, particularly those who do not have access
to solar. This is despite fierce resistance from fossil fuel incumbents
and barriers erected by regulators.
Even more worrying for utilities is that
the economics of battery storage are close, very close. Bruce Mountain,
from advisory firm CME, says the effective halving of costs in the second version of the Tesla Powerwall has made solar and storage cheaper than grid-supplied electricity in places like South Australia.
In fact, Mountain says the combination of solar and storage is now 25% cheaper than the best retail offer in that state.
Cooper says that is not quite the case
in NSW. Yet. “We are totally open about that – when you are just
looking at bill savings, it is now making pure economic sense in certain
household situations but not all.
“But what makes it still a rational
decision,” he says, “is that many people are motivated by other
“intrinsic” values – including energy independence, their support for
clean energy, and their dislike of incumbent utilities.”
Suncrowd’s July campaign in Newcastle in
partnership with Climate Action Newcastle was Australia’s first
bulk-buy for energy storage, and had almost 200 participants adopting
250kW of solar and 660kWh of storage.
Cooper says the whole program has underlined some key highlights:
- People want batteries: Some 75% of participants have opted for battery storage
- People want smart energy software: Some 70% of eligible customers have opted to add Reposit Power to their battery system
- People want Australian made: Some 80% of customers have paid a premium for Australian made and Adelaide based Tindo Solar panels over a Chinese module (the normal ratio of solar modules in Australia is 80% Chinese made, although many consumers are under the impression that they are buying Australian).
Cooper also notes that the release of
the Tesla Powerwall 2 has eliminated interest in the LG 10 kWh battery,
and is neck-and-neck with the LG Chem 6.5 kWh as the most popular
storage offering.
Suncrowd has also developed some tools of its own, such as an online calculator, which
assists households determine energy independence and bill
savings. Since June, their programs have generated $50,000 income for
community non-profit partners who assist in delivering the programs
across NSW.
Change market rules, and battery storage will easily beat gas
As federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg raised eyebrows for downplaying renewables and talking up gas at a conference in Canberra, a new report has highlighted how a change in energy market rules could encourage more battery and other storage devices and help reduce wholesale energy prices.
Frydenberg was heckled during a speech at the ANU Energy Change Institute for saying that more gas was needed to cope with the rise of “intermittent” wind and solar and help keep Australia’s energy system “secure, reliable and affordable.”
The comments follow an opinion piece Frydenberg authored in the Murdoch media on Monday, when he described the Labor Party’s 50 per cent renewable energy target for 2030 as a “lurch to the left” that already caused the “loss of jobs, less investment and higher electricity prices.” (Even though said policy has not been introduced).
Energy experts point out that Australia’s high electricity prices and the experience in South Australia show that Australia has so far failed in providing secure and affordable electricity.
But while the Coalition and the fossil fuel lobby has tried to use the blackout in South Australia as an excuse to go slow on renewables and abolish state-based targets, others are pushing for a rethink about the electricity market rules and operations so the grid can embrace 21st technology and practices.
One of the key issues is the current system of settlement periods in the wholesale electricity market. Generation is dispatched and priced every 5 minutes, but the market is only “settled” every 30 minutes.
The Australian Energy Regulator and large energy users have argued that this distorts the energy market, allowing for the market to be “gamed” by fossil fuel generators, who might push the price to the market cap for one five minute period, knowing that the benefits will flow.
There have been numerous examples of this “gaming” of the system in both South Australia and Queensland, where the markets rely heavily on gas for the marginal price of generation, and which have the fewest competitors.
Proponents for the rule change argue that if the price was settled every 5 minutes, then the distortions will be removed and fast-reponse technologies such as battery storage could be encouraged, leading to a smarter, cleaner and more secure grid.
This argument has been underpinned by a new study by the Melbourne Energy Institute’s Dylan McConnell, who argues that a 5 minute settlement period is critical to unlock the “full value” of battery and other storage, and will reduce the cost of “caps contracts” by around one third.
One of the criticisms of the 30 minute settlement periods, apart from the gaming, is that it is designed to advantage slow-response peaking gas plants, but does not favour instant-response technologies such as battery storage.
McConnell’s analysis and modelling shows that with a 5-minute settlement period, the potential revenue for battery storage installations could rise more than five-fold to around $617/hour for every kW of capacity, and twice that much on days of high volatility.
This would provide the revenue certainty to encourage battery storage installations to be built. Battery storage could also provide other network security services that could help keep the lights on if grids such as South Australia’s were battered by another super-storm with winds of up to 260km/h.
McConnell’s analysis also looks at the impact of “cap contracts”, a favoured hedging tool used in wholesale markets.
Basically, retailers agree to pay peaking generators a “fixed fee” – of say $10/MWh (in NSW and Victoria, or up to $45/MWh in South Australia) for every trading interval for the year – in return for being “reimbursed” for sharp price spikes (above $300/MWh).
Those cap contracts are the currency that keeps the peaking plants in business, and McConnell says battery storage will need the same. But even though the technology is comparable now to peaking gas plants, under the 30-minute pricing system it would not be able to provide a discount.
Under the 5-minute settlement rule, however, and with battery storage, McConnell’s modelling shows that cap contract pricing could fall by up to 30 per cent. That will have benefits to wholesale prices that will flow through to all consumers.
Fossil fuel generators, particularly those such as ERM and Snowy Hydro who have made recent investments in peaking power plants, have argued strongly against the 5-minute proposal, saying that it could put their units out of business.
The Australian Energy Market Commission, which must decide on the rule change, had been thought ready to ditch the idea. But strong lobbying, and a push by COAG energy ministers for the AEMC to “catch up” with the dramatic technology changes taking place around it, saw it put the matter back on the agenda.
The AEMC is due to conduct a workshop on the issue later this week, and will make a decision next year. Energy users and technology developers say it is one of a number of rulings that are essential if Australia is to push ahead with renewables and not find itself relying on expensive, dirty and slow-responding gas generation.
Frydenberg was heckled during a speech at the ANU Energy Change Institute for saying that more gas was needed to cope with the rise of “intermittent” wind and solar and help keep Australia’s energy system “secure, reliable and affordable.”
The comments follow an opinion piece Frydenberg authored in the Murdoch media on Monday, when he described the Labor Party’s 50 per cent renewable energy target for 2030 as a “lurch to the left” that already caused the “loss of jobs, less investment and higher electricity prices.” (Even though said policy has not been introduced).
Energy experts point out that Australia’s high electricity prices and the experience in South Australia show that Australia has so far failed in providing secure and affordable electricity.
But while the Coalition and the fossil fuel lobby has tried to use the blackout in South Australia as an excuse to go slow on renewables and abolish state-based targets, others are pushing for a rethink about the electricity market rules and operations so the grid can embrace 21st technology and practices.
One of the key issues is the current system of settlement periods in the wholesale electricity market. Generation is dispatched and priced every 5 minutes, but the market is only “settled” every 30 minutes.
The Australian Energy Regulator and large energy users have argued that this distorts the energy market, allowing for the market to be “gamed” by fossil fuel generators, who might push the price to the market cap for one five minute period, knowing that the benefits will flow.
There have been numerous examples of this “gaming” of the system in both South Australia and Queensland, where the markets rely heavily on gas for the marginal price of generation, and which have the fewest competitors.
Proponents for the rule change argue that if the price was settled every 5 minutes, then the distortions will be removed and fast-reponse technologies such as battery storage could be encouraged, leading to a smarter, cleaner and more secure grid.
This argument has been underpinned by a new study by the Melbourne Energy Institute’s Dylan McConnell, who argues that a 5 minute settlement period is critical to unlock the “full value” of battery and other storage, and will reduce the cost of “caps contracts” by around one third.
One of the criticisms of the 30 minute settlement periods, apart from the gaming, is that it is designed to advantage slow-response peaking gas plants, but does not favour instant-response technologies such as battery storage.
McConnell’s analysis and modelling shows that with a 5-minute settlement period, the potential revenue for battery storage installations could rise more than five-fold to around $617/hour for every kW of capacity, and twice that much on days of high volatility.
This would provide the revenue certainty to encourage battery storage installations to be built. Battery storage could also provide other network security services that could help keep the lights on if grids such as South Australia’s were battered by another super-storm with winds of up to 260km/h.
McConnell’s analysis also looks at the impact of “cap contracts”, a favoured hedging tool used in wholesale markets.
Basically, retailers agree to pay peaking generators a “fixed fee” – of say $10/MWh (in NSW and Victoria, or up to $45/MWh in South Australia) for every trading interval for the year – in return for being “reimbursed” for sharp price spikes (above $300/MWh).
Those cap contracts are the currency that keeps the peaking plants in business, and McConnell says battery storage will need the same. But even though the technology is comparable now to peaking gas plants, under the 30-minute pricing system it would not be able to provide a discount.
Under the 5-minute settlement rule, however, and with battery storage, McConnell’s modelling shows that cap contract pricing could fall by up to 30 per cent. That will have benefits to wholesale prices that will flow through to all consumers.
Fossil fuel generators, particularly those such as ERM and Snowy Hydro who have made recent investments in peaking power plants, have argued strongly against the 5-minute proposal, saying that it could put their units out of business.
The Australian Energy Market Commission, which must decide on the rule change, had been thought ready to ditch the idea. But strong lobbying, and a push by COAG energy ministers for the AEMC to “catch up” with the dramatic technology changes taking place around it, saw it put the matter back on the agenda.
The AEMC is due to conduct a workshop on the issue later this week, and will make a decision next year. Energy users and technology developers say it is one of a number of rulings that are essential if Australia is to push ahead with renewables and not find itself relying on expensive, dirty and slow-responding gas generation.
Australian home solar storage battery to take on electronics giant Tesla
With the number of depleted home solar batteries being thrown away tipped to rise over the coming years, one Australian company is taking on electronic giants such as Tesla and Panasonic with the launch of an easily recyclable power source.
About 8,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries are thrown away every year and in the next 20 years that is expected to jump to 150,000 tonnes, partly due to a rise in the use of big home solar batteries, according to the Australian Battery Recycling Initiative.
Brisbane company Redflow says it has developed the ZCell battery that, unlike its competitors, does not use lithium and is more recyclable than its competitors.
"The active parts are plastic, aluminium and steel, the fluid electrolyte can be removed and cleaned and put in the next battery so the whole thing is very recyclable," executive chairman Simon Hackett said.
The battery is designed to store 10kWh of electricity — enough to keep most homes running for a day or two.
"It's a very effective high capacity battery. It's about the size of a bar-fridge on its side and it goes outside an external wall of your house."
With the end of generous government rebates for power being fed back into grid, the demand for home batteries has soared.
Some 1.5 million homes have solar panels installed and, because of that, international heavyweights like LG and Enphase have launched various battery models in Australia this year.
In NSW, generous premiums paid to homeowners for exporting their solar electricity to the grid are set to expire at the end of the year.
More than 146,000 households are about to see their feed-in tariff drop from as high as 60c/kWh to just under 5c/kWh.
Call for recycling regulations as battery uptake increases
But with a growing battery uptake, is there a future problem in the making?
Helen Lewis, Australian Battery Recycling Initiative chief executive, said most batteries being sold have a life span of 10 years and is calling for the Government to accelerate negotiations with the industry for a battery recycling scheme.
"We don't have any regulations that require recycling of batteries at the moment. We'd like to see that come into force sometime over the next few years."
Dr Lewis warned that it took almost 10 years to install a TV recycling program.
"We certainly don't want to see batteries sitting on the kerb like we saw for TVs and computers a few years ago," she said.
However another enterprising company in Victoria has seen a market opportunity.
PF Metals has just opened a pilot lithium-ion battery recycling plant.
The machine crunches down mobile phone and laptop batteries to their component parts and sells them to be remade into batteries.
"That lithium-ion dust can go back into manufacturing new energy systems and that's why we're quite excited about the process because we're creating something that can go back into all-new products," the firm said.
The chemistry of many large household batteries is similar to smaller batteries.
So managing director Andrew Mackenzie is aiming to scale his facility up to handle the larger batteries.
Redflow announced its new battery to the ASX this morning.
About 8,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries are thrown away every year and in the next 20 years that is expected to jump to 150,000 tonnes, partly due to a rise in the use of big home solar batteries, according to the Australian Battery Recycling Initiative.
Brisbane company Redflow says it has developed the ZCell battery that, unlike its competitors, does not use lithium and is more recyclable than its competitors.
"The active parts are plastic, aluminium and steel, the fluid electrolyte can be removed and cleaned and put in the next battery so the whole thing is very recyclable," executive chairman Simon Hackett said.
The battery is designed to store 10kWh of electricity — enough to keep most homes running for a day or two.
"It's a very effective high capacity battery. It's about the size of a bar-fridge on its side and it goes outside an external wall of your house."
With the end of generous government rebates for power being fed back into grid, the demand for home batteries has soared.
Some 1.5 million homes have solar panels installed and, because of that, international heavyweights like LG and Enphase have launched various battery models in Australia this year.
In NSW, generous premiums paid to homeowners for exporting their solar electricity to the grid are set to expire at the end of the year.
More than 146,000 households are about to see their feed-in tariff drop from as high as 60c/kWh to just under 5c/kWh.
Call for recycling regulations as battery uptake increases
But with a growing battery uptake, is there a future problem in the making?
Helen Lewis, Australian Battery Recycling Initiative chief executive, said most batteries being sold have a life span of 10 years and is calling for the Government to accelerate negotiations with the industry for a battery recycling scheme.
"We don't have any regulations that require recycling of batteries at the moment. We'd like to see that come into force sometime over the next few years."
Dr Lewis warned that it took almost 10 years to install a TV recycling program.
"We certainly don't want to see batteries sitting on the kerb like we saw for TVs and computers a few years ago," she said.
However another enterprising company in Victoria has seen a market opportunity.
PF Metals has just opened a pilot lithium-ion battery recycling plant.
The machine crunches down mobile phone and laptop batteries to their component parts and sells them to be remade into batteries.
"That lithium-ion dust can go back into manufacturing new energy systems and that's why we're quite excited about the process because we're creating something that can go back into all-new products," the firm said.
The chemistry of many large household batteries is similar to smaller batteries.
So managing director Andrew Mackenzie is aiming to scale his facility up to handle the larger batteries.
Redflow announced its new battery to the ASX this morning.
New York City Sets the First Citywide Solar Storage Battery Target
Only two U.S. states, California and Massachusetts, have set targets for energy storage deployments. Now New York City has joined them.
The city government unveiled a storage goal of 100 megawatt-hours by 2020 last week, along with an expanded solar target of 1,000 megawatts by 2030. Storage, with its capacity to integrate variable wind and solar power sources into the grid, is expected to play a critical role in meeting the city's plans to cut greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050.
Storage experts told GTM that this is the first time a city has set such a target.
The city's target is not a legally binding requirement like California's. It's more of an aspirational target with policies designed to make the process easier.
"With a city-based target, they are also directly responsible for building codes and siting regulations, deployment strategies and even local taxes -- and the city can also take steps to adapt all these rules and regulations to accelerate deployment," wrote Matt Roberts, executive director of the Energy Storage Association, in an email. "The city is able to marshal its forces toward this collective goal, and can more easily adjust the goal based on the observed value delivered in the future."
The New York City target applies to the full spectrum of storage, including electrochemical and thermal technologies. City officials are targeting storage as a way to reduce demand charges, defer distribution system upgrades, pre-cool buildings and shift solar power consumption.
For all the potential use cases, energy storage is still a bit player in the city's energy system. A major motivation for the storage target is to make permitting easier, said Daniel Zarrilli, senior director of climate policy and programs with the city.
Currently, getting a storage system approved is "largely a one-off process where it's pulled out of a queue and dealt with specifically because it’s unique," he said. "We don’t want people thinking, ‘Oh, I want to put in storage, but it may be too hard.'"
That's how solar permitting was in the early days, but then the city set a target in 2014 to get 100 megawatts of public solar and 250 megawatts of private solar by 2025. This spurred an increase in deployments and a streamlining of the city's procedures.
"We’ve been using that target as a way to knock down some of the internal bureaucratic hurdles," Zarrilli said. The hope is something similar will happen with storage.
Energy storage makes a lot of sense for New York City, said Daniel Finn-Foley, a senior analyst for energy storage at GTM Research.
"It's easy to forget that Manhattan is an island, with all the associated complications, but you'd be reminded if you ever tried to plan transmission systems into the city," he said. "Its capacity prices are quite high -- the latest strip auction for the NYISO capacity market cleared at $10.99/kW-month, compared to $3.62 across much of the rest of the state."
Most recent growth in storage capacity nationwide has been driven by cheaper lithium-ion batteries, but the New York City Fire Department and the Department of Buildings are still figuring out the safety implications of this new technology. Lithium-ion chemistries carry some degree of risk for fires, and the city wants to feel secure before adding them into the highly dense region.
A block on lithium-ion would force developers to focus on other technologies, which might not be the cheapest or most efficient for a particular use case. The city has plenty of other options to work with though. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, for instance, is trying out a 400-kilowatt-hour vanadium redox flow battery in downtown Manhattan. That technology is known for its safe components and long-duration performance.
GTM wasn't able to find a tally of storage deployments in the city so far, but GTM Research forecasts the state of New York will have an annual market of 273 megawatt-hours in 2020. So if a strong share of the state's deployments go to its largest city, the 100-megawatt-hour target should be doable.
The city government unveiled a storage goal of 100 megawatt-hours by 2020 last week, along with an expanded solar target of 1,000 megawatts by 2030. Storage, with its capacity to integrate variable wind and solar power sources into the grid, is expected to play a critical role in meeting the city's plans to cut greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050.
Storage experts told GTM that this is the first time a city has set such a target.
The city's target is not a legally binding requirement like California's. It's more of an aspirational target with policies designed to make the process easier.
"With a city-based target, they are also directly responsible for building codes and siting regulations, deployment strategies and even local taxes -- and the city can also take steps to adapt all these rules and regulations to accelerate deployment," wrote Matt Roberts, executive director of the Energy Storage Association, in an email. "The city is able to marshal its forces toward this collective goal, and can more easily adjust the goal based on the observed value delivered in the future."
The New York City target applies to the full spectrum of storage, including electrochemical and thermal technologies. City officials are targeting storage as a way to reduce demand charges, defer distribution system upgrades, pre-cool buildings and shift solar power consumption.
For all the potential use cases, energy storage is still a bit player in the city's energy system. A major motivation for the storage target is to make permitting easier, said Daniel Zarrilli, senior director of climate policy and programs with the city.
Currently, getting a storage system approved is "largely a one-off process where it's pulled out of a queue and dealt with specifically because it’s unique," he said. "We don’t want people thinking, ‘Oh, I want to put in storage, but it may be too hard.'"
That's how solar permitting was in the early days, but then the city set a target in 2014 to get 100 megawatts of public solar and 250 megawatts of private solar by 2025. This spurred an increase in deployments and a streamlining of the city's procedures.
"We’ve been using that target as a way to knock down some of the internal bureaucratic hurdles," Zarrilli said. The hope is something similar will happen with storage.
Energy storage makes a lot of sense for New York City, said Daniel Finn-Foley, a senior analyst for energy storage at GTM Research.
"It's easy to forget that Manhattan is an island, with all the associated complications, but you'd be reminded if you ever tried to plan transmission systems into the city," he said. "Its capacity prices are quite high -- the latest strip auction for the NYISO capacity market cleared at $10.99/kW-month, compared to $3.62 across much of the rest of the state."
Most recent growth in storage capacity nationwide has been driven by cheaper lithium-ion batteries, but the New York City Fire Department and the Department of Buildings are still figuring out the safety implications of this new technology. Lithium-ion chemistries carry some degree of risk for fires, and the city wants to feel secure before adding them into the highly dense region.
A block on lithium-ion would force developers to focus on other technologies, which might not be the cheapest or most efficient for a particular use case. The city has plenty of other options to work with though. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, for instance, is trying out a 400-kilowatt-hour vanadium redox flow battery in downtown Manhattan. That technology is known for its safe components and long-duration performance.
GTM wasn't able to find a tally of storage deployments in the city so far, but GTM Research forecasts the state of New York will have an annual market of 273 megawatt-hours in 2020. So if a strong share of the state's deployments go to its largest city, the 100-megawatt-hour target should be doable.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Wholesale LifePo4 Battery Storage take-up in Australia to Snowball Forward
A NSW-based community solar and battery storage bulk buy program has been so successful that the promoters believe the battery storage sector may be in the early stages of mass-market uptake.
The campaign, led by Suncrowd, has attracted thousands of people at roadshows in regional towns in New South Wales in the last few months, and translated into what its organisers believe might already be the largest coordinated community energy project Australia.
Suncrowd’s Chris Cooper says the response has been so strong that it shows that people are clearly ready for the next stage of the energy transition – by adding affordable energy storage and smart energy software to their solar system. It may even signal the start of the early “mass market” uptake of the technology.
Cooper says Suncrowd’s community bulk buy program, which makes solar and batteries easy, accessible and at lower prices, overcomes the complexity and lack of trust that can dog such transactions.
“People want it delivered in a transparent, engaging and easy to understand format,” Cooper says, “and the community sector has a key role in facilitating this if we’re to increase uptake of important new energy technologies”
Incumbent utilities should be worried. Firstly, they have long assumed that the uptake of battery storage would be a slow burn, and wouldn’t take off – apart from a few early adopters – until the “economics make sense.” When the economics do make sense, the big retailers assume that most consumers will go to a recognised name.
But Cooper says many consumers aren’t waiting for the numbers to add up, or for the big names to get their act together. In New South Wales, this is being driven by frustration with renewable energy policy and the fact that the “60 cent-ers”, the 140,000 households on the solar bonus scheme, are about to lose their premium tariffs.
“When you are just looking at bill savings, it is now making pure economic sense in certain household situations but not all,” Cooper said.
“But what makes it still a rational decision is that many people are motivated by other “intrinsic” values – including energy independence, their support for clean energy, and their dislike of incumbent utilities.”
The campaign, led by Suncrowd, has attracted thousands of people at roadshows in regional towns in New South Wales in the last few months, and translated into what its organisers believe might already be the largest coordinated community energy project Australia.
Suncrowd’s Chris Cooper says the response has been so strong that it shows that people are clearly ready for the next stage of the energy transition – by adding affordable energy storage and smart energy software to their solar system. It may even signal the start of the early “mass market” uptake of the technology.
Cooper says Suncrowd’s community bulk buy program, which makes solar and batteries easy, accessible and at lower prices, overcomes the complexity and lack of trust that can dog such transactions.
“People want it delivered in a transparent, engaging and easy to understand format,” Cooper says, “and the community sector has a key role in facilitating this if we’re to increase uptake of important new energy technologies”
Incumbent utilities should be worried. Firstly, they have long assumed that the uptake of battery storage would be a slow burn, and wouldn’t take off – apart from a few early adopters – until the “economics make sense.” When the economics do make sense, the big retailers assume that most consumers will go to a recognised name.
But Cooper says many consumers aren’t waiting for the numbers to add up, or for the big names to get their act together. In New South Wales, this is being driven by frustration with renewable energy policy and the fact that the “60 cent-ers”, the 140,000 households on the solar bonus scheme, are about to lose their premium tariffs.
“When you are just looking at bill savings, it is now making pure economic sense in certain household situations but not all,” Cooper said.
“But what makes it still a rational decision is that many people are motivated by other “intrinsic” values – including energy independence, their support for clean energy, and their dislike of incumbent utilities.”
How Lifepo4 Battery Storage Promises to Fill the Renewable Energy's gap
India is the world’s second most populous country and the seventh largest economy. It is the fastest growing large economy in the world. However, per capita power consumption of the country is still one of the lowest and stands at approximately one-third of the global average. A KPMG report mentions that India’s power demand is going to double by 2020. The government is taking initiatives to increase electricity generation in the country and making it available for all. At present, a lion’s share of the country’s electricity is produced from non-renewable energy sources like coal. As part of its commitment towards clean energy, the present government has planned to install 175 GW of renewable power by 2022 - 100 GW from solar power, 60 GW from wind power, 10 GW from bio power and 5 GW from small hydro power.
However, implementation of such high volume of renewable energy has its own challenges. Sun is available only during the sunny days and wind speed is maximum primarily during the night and during rainy seasons. Both the power sources miss the peak hours i.e., morning and evening. These challenges have sparked a need to store these energies when they are produced in excess and use them later during peak hours. Since renewable energies are available intermittently, it can destabilize the grid when injected in higher quantity. Battery storage is one of the possible solutions to this problem. The battery stores the excess renewable energy and supplies it to the grid when it is needed. This balances the grid supply, makes the power supply smoother and more predictable.
IESA has estimated that over 70 GW and 200 GWh of Energy Storage opportunity in India by 2022, which is one of the highest in the world.Out of 70 GW, over 35 GW of demand is expected from newer applications like wind and solar integration, frequency regulation, peak management, T&D deferral, dieselusage optimization andelectric vehicles.
While the merit of the storage technology has been accepted by one and all in the industry, the biggest challenge in its adoption has remain the technology cost. Inclusion of battery storage within the scope of a utility scale project my increase its cost by 40%. For off-grid roof top projects, where small capacity battery is used, at present a 12 Volt, 150 amp-hr lead acid battery costs approx. Rs. 14,000 with 5 years warranty. If we consider life of a lead acid battery is 5 yrs., this translates to storage cost of Rs. 6 / Unit. So the effective per unit electricity cost goes well above Rs. 10 / unit. However, the solar battery storage technology is at its infancy. Research is going on at full swing to produce economical grid scale batteries. Besides, with higher usage, manufacturers will reach economies of scale and price will automatically come down over next 4 – 5 years as it has happened in the LED market.
Initiatives have been taken in the past to promote battery storage technology. Many of them are notable. First, SECI is seeking bids for a 750-megawatt solar park at Ananthapuramu in Andhra Pradesh. SECI is looking to procure 100 megawatts of storage capacity. Second, IL&FS, also one of the biggest independent wind power producers in India, last year secured funding from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to look into utility-scale integration of wind, solar and storage in India. Third, Tesla Motor’s new product “Powerwall”, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for residential/electric vehicles applications is an advanced wall-mounted home battery that provides 10 kWh of storage, storing solar energy and allowing customers to cache grid electricity from non-peak periods to use during peak times.
Fourth, Panasonic India Pvt. Ltd. and AES India Private Limited announced an agreement to construct a 10 MW energy storage array at Panasonic’s Technopark manufacturing facility in Jhajjar, Haryana. And finally, all major solar power developers have already used storage solutions in some of their installations.
It is clear that battery storage will provide sustainability to the renewable energy sector in coming years. The opportunity is huge in India, mainly in the rooftop/off-grid space. For utility scale projects, storage will provide necessary grid balancing and grid stabilization solution. It will be interesting to see how the technology unfolds globally and especially in a big renewable market like India.
However, implementation of such high volume of renewable energy has its own challenges. Sun is available only during the sunny days and wind speed is maximum primarily during the night and during rainy seasons. Both the power sources miss the peak hours i.e., morning and evening. These challenges have sparked a need to store these energies when they are produced in excess and use them later during peak hours. Since renewable energies are available intermittently, it can destabilize the grid when injected in higher quantity. Battery storage is one of the possible solutions to this problem. The battery stores the excess renewable energy and supplies it to the grid when it is needed. This balances the grid supply, makes the power supply smoother and more predictable.
IESA has estimated that over 70 GW and 200 GWh of Energy Storage opportunity in India by 2022, which is one of the highest in the world.Out of 70 GW, over 35 GW of demand is expected from newer applications like wind and solar integration, frequency regulation, peak management, T&D deferral, dieselusage optimization andelectric vehicles.
While the merit of the storage technology has been accepted by one and all in the industry, the biggest challenge in its adoption has remain the technology cost. Inclusion of battery storage within the scope of a utility scale project my increase its cost by 40%. For off-grid roof top projects, where small capacity battery is used, at present a 12 Volt, 150 amp-hr lead acid battery costs approx. Rs. 14,000 with 5 years warranty. If we consider life of a lead acid battery is 5 yrs., this translates to storage cost of Rs. 6 / Unit. So the effective per unit electricity cost goes well above Rs. 10 / unit. However, the solar battery storage technology is at its infancy. Research is going on at full swing to produce economical grid scale batteries. Besides, with higher usage, manufacturers will reach economies of scale and price will automatically come down over next 4 – 5 years as it has happened in the LED market.
Initiatives have been taken in the past to promote battery storage technology. Many of them are notable. First, SECI is seeking bids for a 750-megawatt solar park at Ananthapuramu in Andhra Pradesh. SECI is looking to procure 100 megawatts of storage capacity. Second, IL&FS, also one of the biggest independent wind power producers in India, last year secured funding from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to look into utility-scale integration of wind, solar and storage in India. Third, Tesla Motor’s new product “Powerwall”, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for residential/electric vehicles applications is an advanced wall-mounted home battery that provides 10 kWh of storage, storing solar energy and allowing customers to cache grid electricity from non-peak periods to use during peak times.
Fourth, Panasonic India Pvt. Ltd. and AES India Private Limited announced an agreement to construct a 10 MW energy storage array at Panasonic’s Technopark manufacturing facility in Jhajjar, Haryana. And finally, all major solar power developers have already used storage solutions in some of their installations.It is clear that battery storage will provide sustainability to the renewable energy sector in coming years. The opportunity is huge in India, mainly in the rooftop/off-grid space. For utility scale projects, storage will provide necessary grid balancing and grid stabilization solution. It will be interesting to see how the technology unfolds globally and especially in a big renewable market like India.
Video : Tesla, SolarCity Storage Batteries, Clean Energy
The combination of Tesla and SolarCity is already promoting its potential synergies, albeit in a location far away from the mainland United States.
The island of Ta'u in American Samoa is located more than 4,000 miles from the U.S. West Coast, and typically relies on imported diesel fuel to generate electricity.
With no local sources of fossil fuels, Ta'u is in the precarious position of needing periodic shipments of diesel, and facing power outages and rationing when they are delayed.
But this remote island now has an alternative source of power.
A combination of SolarCity solar panels and Tesla Powerpack energy-storage battery packs can now provide nearly 100 percent of Ta'u's electricity, SolarCity says.
This "microgrid" consists of 1.4 megawatts of solar-generation capacity from SolarCity, and 6.0 MWh of energy-storage capacity from the Tesla Powerpacks, according to a SolarCity blog post.
The project was completed in less than a year, with funding from the American Samoa Economic Development Authority, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of the Interior.
Use of energy-storage battery packs was crucial to supplying enough power to satisfy the needs of Ta'u's roughly 600 residents.
Energy storage allows excess electricity harvested by solar panels to be used later, when sunlight isn't available.
This ensures that energy harvested during the day does not go to waste, and that electricity is available consistently.
Renewable energy is also a particularly attractive option for islands, which usually lack local sources of fossil fuels and the infrastructure to connect their electricity grids to the mainland.
As well as the Samoan installation, which will be operated by American Samoa Power Authority, Tesla and SolarCity announced plans earlier this year for a solar farm and energy-storage array on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Even before Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity was approved by shareholders last week, the two companies were closely affiliated.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk already sits on SolarCity's board and his cousin, Lyndon Rive, runs the company.
The acquisition of SolarCity by Tesla was widely criticized by analysts as a distraction for the electric car company, and financially disadvantageous.
Nonetheless, excluding votes by Musk and others affiliated with SolarCity, holders of 85 percent of Tesla shares voted for the acquisition, according to the carmaker.
The island of Ta'u in American Samoa is located more than 4,000 miles from the U.S. West Coast, and typically relies on imported diesel fuel to generate electricity.
With no local sources of fossil fuels, Ta'u is in the precarious position of needing periodic shipments of diesel, and facing power outages and rationing when they are delayed.
But this remote island now has an alternative source of power.
A combination of SolarCity solar panels and Tesla Powerpack energy-storage battery packs can now provide nearly 100 percent of Ta'u's electricity, SolarCity says.
This "microgrid" consists of 1.4 megawatts of solar-generation capacity from SolarCity, and 6.0 MWh of energy-storage capacity from the Tesla Powerpacks, according to a SolarCity blog post.
The project was completed in less than a year, with funding from the American Samoa Economic Development Authority, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of the Interior.
Use of energy-storage battery packs was crucial to supplying enough power to satisfy the needs of Ta'u's roughly 600 residents.
Energy storage allows excess electricity harvested by solar panels to be used later, when sunlight isn't available.
This ensures that energy harvested during the day does not go to waste, and that electricity is available consistently.
Renewable energy is also a particularly attractive option for islands, which usually lack local sources of fossil fuels and the infrastructure to connect their electricity grids to the mainland.
As well as the Samoan installation, which will be operated by American Samoa Power Authority, Tesla and SolarCity announced plans earlier this year for a solar farm and energy-storage array on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Even before Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity was approved by shareholders last week, the two companies were closely affiliated.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk already sits on SolarCity's board and his cousin, Lyndon Rive, runs the company.
The acquisition of SolarCity by Tesla was widely criticized by analysts as a distraction for the electric car company, and financially disadvantageous.
Nonetheless, excluding votes by Musk and others affiliated with SolarCity, holders of 85 percent of Tesla shares voted for the acquisition, according to the carmaker.
Video : Tesla, SolarCity Storage Batteries, Clean Energy
The combination of Tesla and SolarCity is already promoting its potential synergies, albeit in a location far away from the mainland United States.
The island of Ta'u in American Samoa is located more than 4,000 miles from the U.S. West Coast, and typically relies on imported diesel fuel to generate electricity.
With no local sources of fossil fuels, Ta'u is in the precarious position of needing periodic shipments of diesel, and facing power outages and rationing when they are delayed.
But this remote island now has an alternative source of power.
A combination of SolarCity solar panels and Tesla Powerpack energy-storage battery packs can now provide nearly 100 percent of Ta'u's electricity, SolarCity says.
This "microgrid" consists of 1.4 megawatts of solar-generation capacity from SolarCity, and 6.0 MWh of energy-storage capacity from the Tesla Powerpacks, according to a SolarCity blog post.
The project was completed in less than a year, with funding from the American Samoa Economic Development Authority, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of the Interior.
Use of energy-storage battery packs was crucial to supplying enough power to satisfy the needs of Ta'u's roughly 600 residents.
Energy storage allows excess electricity harvested by solar panels to be used later, when sunlight isn't available.
This ensures that energy harvested during the day does not go to waste, and that electricity is available consistently.
Renewable energy is also a particularly attractive option for islands, which usually lack local sources of fossil fuels and the infrastructure to connect their electricity grids to the mainland.
As well as the Samoan installation, which will be operated by American Samoa Power Authority, Tesla and SolarCity announced plans earlier this year for a solar farm and energy-storage array on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Even before Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity was approved by shareholders last week, the two companies were closely affiliated.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk already sits on SolarCity's board and his cousin, Lyndon Rive, runs the company.
The acquisition of SolarCity by Tesla was widely criticized by analysts as a distraction for the electric car company, and financially disadvantageous.
Nonetheless, excluding votes by Musk and others affiliated with SolarCity, holders of 85 percent of Tesla shares voted for the acquisition, according to the carmaker.
The island of Ta'u in American Samoa is located more than 4,000 miles from the U.S. West Coast, and typically relies on imported diesel fuel to generate electricity.
With no local sources of fossil fuels, Ta'u is in the precarious position of needing periodic shipments of diesel, and facing power outages and rationing when they are delayed.
But this remote island now has an alternative source of power.
A combination of SolarCity solar panels and Tesla Powerpack energy-storage battery packs can now provide nearly 100 percent of Ta'u's electricity, SolarCity says.
This "microgrid" consists of 1.4 megawatts of solar-generation capacity from SolarCity, and 6.0 MWh of energy-storage capacity from the Tesla Powerpacks, according to a SolarCity blog post.
The project was completed in less than a year, with funding from the American Samoa Economic Development Authority, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of the Interior.
Use of energy-storage battery packs was crucial to supplying enough power to satisfy the needs of Ta'u's roughly 600 residents.
Energy storage allows excess electricity harvested by solar panels to be used later, when sunlight isn't available.
This ensures that energy harvested during the day does not go to waste, and that electricity is available consistently.
Renewable energy is also a particularly attractive option for islands, which usually lack local sources of fossil fuels and the infrastructure to connect their electricity grids to the mainland.
As well as the Samoan installation, which will be operated by American Samoa Power Authority, Tesla and SolarCity announced plans earlier this year for a solar farm and energy-storage array on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Even before Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity was approved by shareholders last week, the two companies were closely affiliated.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk already sits on SolarCity's board and his cousin, Lyndon Rive, runs the company.
The acquisition of SolarCity by Tesla was widely criticized by analysts as a distraction for the electric car company, and financially disadvantageous.
Nonetheless, excluding votes by Musk and others affiliated with SolarCity, holders of 85 percent of Tesla shares voted for the acquisition, according to the carmaker.
Wholesale Best Deep Cycle Lifepo4 Batteries For Off-Grid Energy Systems
On the classic television show Star Trek, the starship Enterprise had a disturbing habit of losing power at the most inopportune of times. When your ship is being chased through interstellar space by a Klingon warbird or cloaked Romulan destroyer, the last thing a captain wants to hear is that his engines are malfunctioning, and yet far too often Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott was forced to call Jim Kirk and give him the bad news: “I can’t get no power, Captain!”
What this example reveals is just how critically important it is to have good energy storage capacity, so that the power you rely on to live and survive will always be there when you need it the most. This is especially true for off-the-gridders, who in separating themselves from the inherent unreliability of the grid often choose alternative energy sources that have their own limitations and issues with dependability. Solar, wind, and micro-hydropower are all subject to the vagaries of nature, and when clouds, still conditions, and low water levels render them mute, it is important to have a backup source of energy available that can supply a family with all the electric power it needs to keep a homestead humming along in peace and comfort.
A backup generator that runs on propane would be one possibility, but by the far the most economical, efficient, and downright sensible choice is to have a battery bank available that can be charged to full by the alternative energy system itself. Whenever the sun shines or the wind blows or the water flows, those batteries will be charging, and with the help of an inverter that can transform their DC current into useable AC form, a well-stocked and well-maintained battery bank can smooth out energy delivery patterns and guarantee that a renewable energy set-up will be able to provide a steady source of power all throughout the calendar year. A renewable energy system lacking a battery bank is like a glove without a hand, and even though batteries are not anywhere near as sexy or exciting as a glittering rooftop array of solar panels or a majestic windmill sweeping its perpetual arc across the sky, they are every bit as indispensible for those choosing the non-grid energy route.
Alternative energy enthusiasts could sing the praises of battery banks and the renewable energy set-ups that accompany them until the cows come home, but it is cold, hard statistics that provide the delicious pudding of proof for those who wonder what the future holds for the off-the-grid energy economy. Following a 60 percent decline in the price of solar panels from 2011 to 2012, the interest of US consumers in this energy technology picked up dramatically, and in 2012 alone there was a 76 percent jump in the amount of electricity provided to US homes by residential solar arrays. Wind energy capacity jumped by 28 percent in 2012 as well, making it clear that the market for alternative energy is so bullish at the moment that only the most foolhardy matador would attempt to stand in its way.
Harness the power of the sun for your energy needs…
But if you want to see some really impressive numbers, check out the estimates for the growth of the market for batteries designed to store solar energy collected by home arrays. According to the experts at the UK-based IMS Research, the global market for power storage from solar panels is expected to grow from $200 million in 2012 to $19 billion by 2017. For the mathematically challenged (aren’t we all?), that represents a ninety-five-fold increase in just five years time! Clearly, the market for batteries that will be compatible with off-the-grid alternative energy systems is going supernova, and as suppliers fight for market share, we can expect some substantial improvements in the product and plenty of great deals for the bargain shopper.
If you are planning to make the jump into renewables soon, a good battery bank will undoubtedly comprise a significant part of your investment. There are some great options available already, and with the way research-and-development dollars are starting to flow, even better ones could start hitting the market in the extremely near future. We will offer a preview of some of these coming attractions in part two of this article, but first we will look more closely at the types of batteries that are available on the market right now for those who are ready to install a renewable energy system and will need a battery bank to accompany it.
Lead Acid Is King – At Least For Now
In the early days of the alternative energy movement, pioneers were forced to rely primarily on car batteries to store the power captured by their solar or wind systems. But this solution was never intended to be anything more than temporary, as car batteries were not manufactured to withstand this much strain and would seldom last for much more than a year before burning out.
Eventually, off-the-gridders began to experiment with different varieties of deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, which accept a significant charge and can provide a steady amount of current over a prolonged period of time. This proved to be the ideal solution, as the characteristics of deep-cycle storage cells made them perfect partners for a renewable energy set-up.
All of these moderately sized lead-acid batteries were originally designed for other uses, and interestingly, this situation has not changed very much, as the flexibility of standard deep-cycle batteries made for other macro-scale applications makes them easily adaptable for use in renewable energy systems. Up until now, the market for batteries made exclusively for home-based alternative energy arrangements has simply not been strong enough to support their manufacture (although that situation may change in the very near future).
What It Takes To Create A Safe, Self-Sufficient, Off-The-Grid Lifestyle Using Solar Power!
At the present time, deep-cycle lead-acid batteries are clearly the best choice for use with solar or wind power systems. With one exception, all of the batteries discussed in this section are of the flooded lead-acid (FLA) variety, which means the currents they produce are conducted through a liquid electrolyte that must be replenished regularly (water must be periodically added to the solution to account for attrition). Lead-acid batteries are desirable because they are relatively inexpensive, don’t weigh a ton, and have a consistency in quality and performance that makes them ideal for battery banks that include multiple batteries arranged in sequence and in parallel sets.
The most commonly used lead-acid batteries for off-the-grid residential solar and wind energy systems include the following:
Golf Cart Batteries: Mass produced by the millions, these batteries have the lowest upfront cost and work well in relatively large battery banks set up to run small-scale renewable energy systems. While a set of four 6-volt, 225-ampere golf cart batteries arranged in sequence will produce just 4 kWh (kilowatt hours) of useable energy, four parallel strings can be set up in a battery bank that will boost that storage total to 16 kWh. Generally battery banks are restricted by a “three-string limit,” meaning that if more than three parallel series are set up to provide energy storage, it can shorten battery life considerably, but golf cart batteries are not bound by this restriction. Golf cart batteries have an average lifespan of four to five years, which is relatively short, but they are extremely durable and can be chronically undercharged and still function just fine. Since small solar arrays or windmills may not be able to collect prodigious amounts of power for the purposes of charging on certain occasions (on cloudy days for solar and still days for wind), this ability to perform even when undercharged adds to the utility of golf cart batteries for those who own relatively small-scale alternative energy systems. A single decent golf cart battery might cost anywhere from $75 to $150, although more expensive high-quality models are available as well.
L16 Batteries: These FLA batteries were originally designed for use in supermarket floor scrubbers and are perfect for small-to-medium-sized renewable set ups. Their lifespan is somewhat longer than golf cart batteries – five to eight years is their expected survival range – although they are twice as heavy, coming in at a robust 120 pounds in their 6-volt, 350-400 ampere form. These standard 6-volt L16s are approximately two to three times more expensive than golf cart batteries, but L16 batteries are also now available in 2-volt models that have higher kWh storage capacity, which means the same level of storage can be achieved with a reduced number of batteries in a single or in parallel strings. These 2-volt models are somewhat more costly than the 6-volt variety, but overall there should be enough cost savings to justify this investment if the lower voltage isn’t a big problem.
Industrial Batteries: These potent 300+ pound monsters can kick out an incredible 2,500 amperes of flow per cell. Although a complete set of industrial batteries large enough to store the total collected energy of a residential alternative energy system can run anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000, the amount of kWh of energy saved over their fifteen-to-twenty-year lifespan will provide more bang for the buck than you would be able to get from a battery bank comprised of golf cart or L16 batteries. Because industrial batteries are no longer manufactured to standard dimensions, battery banks for renewable energy systems can be custom-ordered directly from industrial battery manufacturers, allowing the client to choose exactly the storage capacity he wants and needs to get the job done. One thing to keep in mind is that FLAs of all types do require regular care and maintenance if they are to remain in good working order, so those who are sloppy or inattentive in this area could soon find themselves up a creek without a paddle and without enough money to afford bus fare home if they spend thousands on industrial batteries but don’t take proper care of them.
Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries: In comparison to FLAs, sealed lead-acid batteries that use gelled or absorbed electrolytes offer some real advantages:
But now that we have outlined the advantages of sealed lead-acid batteries, we must acknowledge their two great faults. First of all, they are very sensitive to charge levels and can be easily damaged if overcharged – and they won’t work particularly well if they are kept undercharged, either. And secondly, even though they are twice as expensive as industrial batteries, their lifespan is only half as long, which would seem to make them a bad investment for residential systems in almost every circumstance. Of course as research-and-development progresses, this situation may change, but at least for now they are not the most cost-effective option for those who want to power their homes entirely through the use of renewable energy.
Their expense notwithstanding, sealed lead-acid batteries are still appropriate for use in weekend cabins or in homes that are occupied seasonally, where a small solar array/large battery bank combination can provide all the energy that will be needed without battery functioning being compromised by chronic over- or undercharging. They could also be a good solution in general for those who are not at all keen on maintenance and who are willing to pay to avoid this responsibility.
Somebody Tell The Enterprise – Scotty Needs Better Batteries!
If you are ready to take the leap into renewables now, your battery bank will likely consist of one of the options we have just discussed. But simply choosing which type of battery you would like to purchase and deploy is only the first step in the process; there are a number of factors you must take into consideration before you actually set up your battery bank, and even after you have it up and functioning, you will still need to take care of your batteries properly if you expect your bank to operate at maximum efficiency and to keep working for as long as possible. In part two of this article (appearing next week) we will take a more in-depth look at these critical issues before we conclude our examination of the fascinating world of off-the-grid energy storage by gazing off into the distance to see what new developments may be coming down the pike.
What this example reveals is just how critically important it is to have good energy storage capacity, so that the power you rely on to live and survive will always be there when you need it the most. This is especially true for off-the-gridders, who in separating themselves from the inherent unreliability of the grid often choose alternative energy sources that have their own limitations and issues with dependability. Solar, wind, and micro-hydropower are all subject to the vagaries of nature, and when clouds, still conditions, and low water levels render them mute, it is important to have a backup source of energy available that can supply a family with all the electric power it needs to keep a homestead humming along in peace and comfort.
A backup generator that runs on propane would be one possibility, but by the far the most economical, efficient, and downright sensible choice is to have a battery bank available that can be charged to full by the alternative energy system itself. Whenever the sun shines or the wind blows or the water flows, those batteries will be charging, and with the help of an inverter that can transform their DC current into useable AC form, a well-stocked and well-maintained battery bank can smooth out energy delivery patterns and guarantee that a renewable energy set-up will be able to provide a steady source of power all throughout the calendar year. A renewable energy system lacking a battery bank is like a glove without a hand, and even though batteries are not anywhere near as sexy or exciting as a glittering rooftop array of solar panels or a majestic windmill sweeping its perpetual arc across the sky, they are every bit as indispensible for those choosing the non-grid energy route.
Alternative energy enthusiasts could sing the praises of battery banks and the renewable energy set-ups that accompany them until the cows come home, but it is cold, hard statistics that provide the delicious pudding of proof for those who wonder what the future holds for the off-the-grid energy economy. Following a 60 percent decline in the price of solar panels from 2011 to 2012, the interest of US consumers in this energy technology picked up dramatically, and in 2012 alone there was a 76 percent jump in the amount of electricity provided to US homes by residential solar arrays. Wind energy capacity jumped by 28 percent in 2012 as well, making it clear that the market for alternative energy is so bullish at the moment that only the most foolhardy matador would attempt to stand in its way.
Harness the power of the sun for your energy needs…
But if you want to see some really impressive numbers, check out the estimates for the growth of the market for batteries designed to store solar energy collected by home arrays. According to the experts at the UK-based IMS Research, the global market for power storage from solar panels is expected to grow from $200 million in 2012 to $19 billion by 2017. For the mathematically challenged (aren’t we all?), that represents a ninety-five-fold increase in just five years time! Clearly, the market for batteries that will be compatible with off-the-grid alternative energy systems is going supernova, and as suppliers fight for market share, we can expect some substantial improvements in the product and plenty of great deals for the bargain shopper.
If you are planning to make the jump into renewables soon, a good battery bank will undoubtedly comprise a significant part of your investment. There are some great options available already, and with the way research-and-development dollars are starting to flow, even better ones could start hitting the market in the extremely near future. We will offer a preview of some of these coming attractions in part two of this article, but first we will look more closely at the types of batteries that are available on the market right now for those who are ready to install a renewable energy system and will need a battery bank to accompany it.
Lead Acid Is King – At Least For Now
In the early days of the alternative energy movement, pioneers were forced to rely primarily on car batteries to store the power captured by their solar or wind systems. But this solution was never intended to be anything more than temporary, as car batteries were not manufactured to withstand this much strain and would seldom last for much more than a year before burning out.
Eventually, off-the-gridders began to experiment with different varieties of deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, which accept a significant charge and can provide a steady amount of current over a prolonged period of time. This proved to be the ideal solution, as the characteristics of deep-cycle storage cells made them perfect partners for a renewable energy set-up.
All of these moderately sized lead-acid batteries were originally designed for other uses, and interestingly, this situation has not changed very much, as the flexibility of standard deep-cycle batteries made for other macro-scale applications makes them easily adaptable for use in renewable energy systems. Up until now, the market for batteries made exclusively for home-based alternative energy arrangements has simply not been strong enough to support their manufacture (although that situation may change in the very near future).
What It Takes To Create A Safe, Self-Sufficient, Off-The-Grid Lifestyle Using Solar Power!
At the present time, deep-cycle lead-acid batteries are clearly the best choice for use with solar or wind power systems. With one exception, all of the batteries discussed in this section are of the flooded lead-acid (FLA) variety, which means the currents they produce are conducted through a liquid electrolyte that must be replenished regularly (water must be periodically added to the solution to account for attrition). Lead-acid batteries are desirable because they are relatively inexpensive, don’t weigh a ton, and have a consistency in quality and performance that makes them ideal for battery banks that include multiple batteries arranged in sequence and in parallel sets.
The most commonly used lead-acid batteries for off-the-grid residential solar and wind energy systems include the following:
Golf Cart Batteries: Mass produced by the millions, these batteries have the lowest upfront cost and work well in relatively large battery banks set up to run small-scale renewable energy systems. While a set of four 6-volt, 225-ampere golf cart batteries arranged in sequence will produce just 4 kWh (kilowatt hours) of useable energy, four parallel strings can be set up in a battery bank that will boost that storage total to 16 kWh. Generally battery banks are restricted by a “three-string limit,” meaning that if more than three parallel series are set up to provide energy storage, it can shorten battery life considerably, but golf cart batteries are not bound by this restriction. Golf cart batteries have an average lifespan of four to five years, which is relatively short, but they are extremely durable and can be chronically undercharged and still function just fine. Since small solar arrays or windmills may not be able to collect prodigious amounts of power for the purposes of charging on certain occasions (on cloudy days for solar and still days for wind), this ability to perform even when undercharged adds to the utility of golf cart batteries for those who own relatively small-scale alternative energy systems. A single decent golf cart battery might cost anywhere from $75 to $150, although more expensive high-quality models are available as well.
L16 Batteries: These FLA batteries were originally designed for use in supermarket floor scrubbers and are perfect for small-to-medium-sized renewable set ups. Their lifespan is somewhat longer than golf cart batteries – five to eight years is their expected survival range – although they are twice as heavy, coming in at a robust 120 pounds in their 6-volt, 350-400 ampere form. These standard 6-volt L16s are approximately two to three times more expensive than golf cart batteries, but L16 batteries are also now available in 2-volt models that have higher kWh storage capacity, which means the same level of storage can be achieved with a reduced number of batteries in a single or in parallel strings. These 2-volt models are somewhat more costly than the 6-volt variety, but overall there should be enough cost savings to justify this investment if the lower voltage isn’t a big problem.
Industrial Batteries: These potent 300+ pound monsters can kick out an incredible 2,500 amperes of flow per cell. Although a complete set of industrial batteries large enough to store the total collected energy of a residential alternative energy system can run anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000, the amount of kWh of energy saved over their fifteen-to-twenty-year lifespan will provide more bang for the buck than you would be able to get from a battery bank comprised of golf cart or L16 batteries. Because industrial batteries are no longer manufactured to standard dimensions, battery banks for renewable energy systems can be custom-ordered directly from industrial battery manufacturers, allowing the client to choose exactly the storage capacity he wants and needs to get the job done. One thing to keep in mind is that FLAs of all types do require regular care and maintenance if they are to remain in good working order, so those who are sloppy or inattentive in this area could soon find themselves up a creek without a paddle and without enough money to afford bus fare home if they spend thousands on industrial batteries but don’t take proper care of them.
Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries: In comparison to FLAs, sealed lead-acid batteries that use gelled or absorbed electrolytes offer some real advantages:
- Unlike flooded/unsealed batteries, SLAs require no maintenance beyond proper charging.
- Unlike FLAs, when being charged SLAs produce no gasses that must be vented.
- SLAs work well with small solar arrays and can be charged to lower voltages as lower charge rates.
- No water must ever be added and individual batteries will not need to be equalized to ensure proper operation of the overall system.
- SLAs don’t leak or suffer terminal corrosion.
- The most commonly used type of SLA, Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM), is non-hazardous, and can be shipped between locations without precaution or extra expense.
- SLAs are easily stackable and will take up less space in a battery bank than other alternatives.
But now that we have outlined the advantages of sealed lead-acid batteries, we must acknowledge their two great faults. First of all, they are very sensitive to charge levels and can be easily damaged if overcharged – and they won’t work particularly well if they are kept undercharged, either. And secondly, even though they are twice as expensive as industrial batteries, their lifespan is only half as long, which would seem to make them a bad investment for residential systems in almost every circumstance. Of course as research-and-development progresses, this situation may change, but at least for now they are not the most cost-effective option for those who want to power their homes entirely through the use of renewable energy.
Their expense notwithstanding, sealed lead-acid batteries are still appropriate for use in weekend cabins or in homes that are occupied seasonally, where a small solar array/large battery bank combination can provide all the energy that will be needed without battery functioning being compromised by chronic over- or undercharging. They could also be a good solution in general for those who are not at all keen on maintenance and who are willing to pay to avoid this responsibility.
Somebody Tell The Enterprise – Scotty Needs Better Batteries!
If you are ready to take the leap into renewables now, your battery bank will likely consist of one of the options we have just discussed. But simply choosing which type of battery you would like to purchase and deploy is only the first step in the process; there are a number of factors you must take into consideration before you actually set up your battery bank, and even after you have it up and functioning, you will still need to take care of your batteries properly if you expect your bank to operate at maximum efficiency and to keep working for as long as possible. In part two of this article (appearing next week) we will take a more in-depth look at these critical issues before we conclude our examination of the fascinating world of off-the-grid energy storage by gazing off into the distance to see what new developments may be coming down the pike.
Why Lifepo4 is The Best Type Battery for Solar Storage ?
Batteries in solar applications have to meet the demands of unstable grid energy, heavy cycling (charging and discharging) and irregular full recharging. There’s a variety of battery types fitted for these unique requirements. Considerations for choosing a battery include cost, cycle life and installation and maintenance.
Here’s a look at these aspects of each technology, as well as some best practices when selecting batteries for a solar installation.
Lifepo4 Solar battery technologies
Deep-cycle, lead-acid batteries have been employed in renewable energy and reliably used in off-grid applications globally for decades
Cost: Typical deep-cycle, lead-acid batteries cost about half as much as lithium-ion.
Cycling: Valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries include absorbed glass mat (AGM) and gel models. Many AGMs batteries available in the market are primarily built for dual-purpose or standby applications like emergency backup, but not deep cycling. However, new deep-cycle AGM designs have increased performance and total energy output making them a good choice for renewable energy applications at a lower price point than gel batteries.
Replacement/maintenance: Many factors including initial design and ongoing maintenance influence battery life so it’s difficult to put a time frame on when the batteries will need replacement. Flooded lead-acid batteries have to be refilled regularly because the electrolyte that fully submerges the battery plates evaporates during charging. The battery enclosure needs ventilation to keep hydrogen gas from accumulating to dangerous levels.
AGM and gel technologies, however, are recombinant, meaning they internally convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and do not require maintenance. As there is no free acid inside these batteries, they can be installed in any position other than upside down. Because solar applications can be in hard-to-reach or remote areas, the ability to install the batteries and let them operate over long periods without maintenance is a benefit.
Disposal: Proper disposal of lead-acid batteries is important because they are toxic. Thankfully, the automotive industry organized to recycle lead early on. Plastic containers and covers of old batteries can also be neutralized, reground and used in new battery cases. In some cases, the electrolyte is cleaned, reprocessed and sold as battery-grade electrolyte. In other instances, the sulfate content is removed as ammonium sulfate and used in fertilizers. The separators are often used as a fuel source for the recycling process. Old batteries may be returned to the battery retailer, automotive service station, a battery manufacturer or other authorized collection centers for recycling.
Lithium-ion
According to a U.S. Solar Energy Monitor report, lithium-ion batteries are the most common storage technology, regardless of application. There are three types: pouches such as in smartphones and tablets, cylindrical such as in power tools, and prismatic (which come in various shapes) such as in electronic vehicles. Prismatic types often have corrugated sides, which create air gaps between adjacent cells and can aid in cooling. The prismatic can have applications in solar energy storage, specifically lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
Cost: Deutsche Bank analysts estimated lithium-ion batteries at about $500/kWh at the end of 2014, but one manufacturer said it’s closer to $750 to $950/kWh. Part of this cost comes from needing a battery management system to monitor the voltage and temperature of each cell to prevent excessive charging and discharging. However, some manufacturers note that, if sized correctly, lithium-ion cells can reduce the cost of peripheral devices like charge controllers, offsetting its higher initial price and lowering cost-of-ownership.
Cycling: Lithium-ion batteries can typically deliver more cycles in their lifetime than lead-acid. This makes them a good choice for applications when batteries are cycled to provide ancillary services to the grid. The most important benefit lithium-ion provides for solar is its high charge and discharge efficiencies, which help harvest more energy. Lithium-ion batteries also lose less capacity when idle, which is useful in solar installations where energy is only used occasionally.
Replacement/maintenance: Lithium-ion batteries can be lighter and more self contained than lead-acid batteries, so may be easier to install and change out. They can be wall-mounted and located indoors or outdoors. They are solid, so don’t require refills or maintenance.
Disposal: Lithium-ion batteries can use organic or inorganic cells. Organic-based batteries are free from any toxins. Inorganic-based cells are much more difficult to dispose of. Inorganic lithium-ion is toxic so it must be disposed of properly. Manufacturers encourage recycling, but there is often a price. Spent lithium-ion cells have little commercial value. Lithium-ion manufacturing involves lengthy preparation and purification of the raw material. In recycling, the metal must go through a similar process again, so it’s often cheaper to mine virgin material than retrieve it from recycling.
Flow batteries
Redox flow batteries are emerging as another storage option. Lux Research reports that falling costs will lead to a 360-MWh market in 2020, worth $190 million. The vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is the most mature technology in this area.
Cost: VRFB developers say that sourcing vanadium from flyash (a by-product of coal-fired electric generating plants) will reduce costs from over $500/kWh to $300/kWh at scale by 2024. VRFB developers are developing ways to boost power density, which will further drive down costs. Integrated power electronics manage the charging and discharging processes, providing a low cost-of-ownership. But the complexity of flow battery chemistry often requires ancillary equipment such as pumps, sensors, control units and secondary containment vessels. This infrastructure takes up appreciable installation space. However, one manufacturer has eased the complexity of ancillary equipment by including all required components within the container itself thereby offering a complete built-in solution.
Replacement/maintenance: VRFB manufacturers note the vanadium electrolyte doesn’t degrade over time, so they can last much longer than other technologies. With other technologies, adding more batteries is the only way to increase hours of storage. A benefit of VRFB architecture is that you can increase battery size by simply adding more electrolyte.
Battery sizing is essential but often overlooked by users and installers. Batteries in PV systems are routinely undersized due to cost or because the system loads were underestimated. It’s important to know the customer’s power needs and correctly plan. Many online calculators provided by battery manufacturers and other software simplifies determining battery capacity for load requirements.
Consider cost of ownership
There are several factors that should be taken into account when determining the total cost of ownership over the life of the battery.
• Price: A battery with a low price is always attractive, but if low price comes at the expense of quality and battery life, the need for frequent battery replacements could boost the cost over time. That’s why it’s important to consider issues other than price when making the decision.
• Capacity: Battery capacity is important because it’s a measure of the amount of energy stored in the battery.
• Voltage: The battery bank voltage must be considered to ensure it matches the system requirements. The battery bank voltage is often determined by the inverter specifications if installing a DC-to-AC system or by the voltage of the loads in a DC system.
• Cycle Life: The most critical consideration is cycle life, which provides the number of discharge/charge cycles the battery can provide before capacity drops to a specified percentage of rated capacity. Batteries from different manufacturers may have the same capacity and energy content and be similar in weight. But design, materials, process and quality influence how long the battery will cycle.
Battery ratings
The nameplate rating on a battery is the fully developed capacity, so it can be misleading to test a battery immediately after it is purchased because it may take up to 100+ cycles for it to reach its full capacity. Beware of batteries that promise full capacity at the time of purchase or those that reach full capacity after only a few cycles. Batteries with a 100+ cycle warm-up will always outlast thos touting a high initial capacity.
Here’s a look at these aspects of each technology, as well as some best practices when selecting batteries for a solar installation.
Lifepo4 Solar battery technologies
Deep-cycle, lead-acid batteries have been employed in renewable energy and reliably used in off-grid applications globally for decades
Cost: Typical deep-cycle, lead-acid batteries cost about half as much as lithium-ion.
Cycling: Valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries include absorbed glass mat (AGM) and gel models. Many AGMs batteries available in the market are primarily built for dual-purpose or standby applications like emergency backup, but not deep cycling. However, new deep-cycle AGM designs have increased performance and total energy output making them a good choice for renewable energy applications at a lower price point than gel batteries.
Replacement/maintenance: Many factors including initial design and ongoing maintenance influence battery life so it’s difficult to put a time frame on when the batteries will need replacement. Flooded lead-acid batteries have to be refilled regularly because the electrolyte that fully submerges the battery plates evaporates during charging. The battery enclosure needs ventilation to keep hydrogen gas from accumulating to dangerous levels.
AGM and gel technologies, however, are recombinant, meaning they internally convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and do not require maintenance. As there is no free acid inside these batteries, they can be installed in any position other than upside down. Because solar applications can be in hard-to-reach or remote areas, the ability to install the batteries and let them operate over long periods without maintenance is a benefit.
Disposal: Proper disposal of lead-acid batteries is important because they are toxic. Thankfully, the automotive industry organized to recycle lead early on. Plastic containers and covers of old batteries can also be neutralized, reground and used in new battery cases. In some cases, the electrolyte is cleaned, reprocessed and sold as battery-grade electrolyte. In other instances, the sulfate content is removed as ammonium sulfate and used in fertilizers. The separators are often used as a fuel source for the recycling process. Old batteries may be returned to the battery retailer, automotive service station, a battery manufacturer or other authorized collection centers for recycling.
Lithium-ion
According to a U.S. Solar Energy Monitor report, lithium-ion batteries are the most common storage technology, regardless of application. There are three types: pouches such as in smartphones and tablets, cylindrical such as in power tools, and prismatic (which come in various shapes) such as in electronic vehicles. Prismatic types often have corrugated sides, which create air gaps between adjacent cells and can aid in cooling. The prismatic can have applications in solar energy storage, specifically lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
Cost: Deutsche Bank analysts estimated lithium-ion batteries at about $500/kWh at the end of 2014, but one manufacturer said it’s closer to $750 to $950/kWh. Part of this cost comes from needing a battery management system to monitor the voltage and temperature of each cell to prevent excessive charging and discharging. However, some manufacturers note that, if sized correctly, lithium-ion cells can reduce the cost of peripheral devices like charge controllers, offsetting its higher initial price and lowering cost-of-ownership.
Cycling: Lithium-ion batteries can typically deliver more cycles in their lifetime than lead-acid. This makes them a good choice for applications when batteries are cycled to provide ancillary services to the grid. The most important benefit lithium-ion provides for solar is its high charge and discharge efficiencies, which help harvest more energy. Lithium-ion batteries also lose less capacity when idle, which is useful in solar installations where energy is only used occasionally.
Replacement/maintenance: Lithium-ion batteries can be lighter and more self contained than lead-acid batteries, so may be easier to install and change out. They can be wall-mounted and located indoors or outdoors. They are solid, so don’t require refills or maintenance.
Disposal: Lithium-ion batteries can use organic or inorganic cells. Organic-based batteries are free from any toxins. Inorganic-based cells are much more difficult to dispose of. Inorganic lithium-ion is toxic so it must be disposed of properly. Manufacturers encourage recycling, but there is often a price. Spent lithium-ion cells have little commercial value. Lithium-ion manufacturing involves lengthy preparation and purification of the raw material. In recycling, the metal must go through a similar process again, so it’s often cheaper to mine virgin material than retrieve it from recycling.
Flow batteries
Redox flow batteries are emerging as another storage option. Lux Research reports that falling costs will lead to a 360-MWh market in 2020, worth $190 million. The vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is the most mature technology in this area.
Cost: VRFB developers say that sourcing vanadium from flyash (a by-product of coal-fired electric generating plants) will reduce costs from over $500/kWh to $300/kWh at scale by 2024. VRFB developers are developing ways to boost power density, which will further drive down costs. Integrated power electronics manage the charging and discharging processes, providing a low cost-of-ownership. But the complexity of flow battery chemistry often requires ancillary equipment such as pumps, sensors, control units and secondary containment vessels. This infrastructure takes up appreciable installation space. However, one manufacturer has eased the complexity of ancillary equipment by including all required components within the container itself thereby offering a complete built-in solution.
Replacement/maintenance: VRFB manufacturers note the vanadium electrolyte doesn’t degrade over time, so they can last much longer than other technologies. With other technologies, adding more batteries is the only way to increase hours of storage. A benefit of VRFB architecture is that you can increase battery size by simply adding more electrolyte.
- Cycling: VRFB developers say the technology has no cycling limitations, and batteries can be charged and discharged completely without impact on their lifespan.
- Disposal: The recycled vanadium in flow batteries is not toxic and can be reused repeatedly for other purposes, such as in making steel. Flow batteries contain an aqueous-based electrolyte that can’t get hot or catch fire and thus are intrinsically safe.
Battery sizing is essential but often overlooked by users and installers. Batteries in PV systems are routinely undersized due to cost or because the system loads were underestimated. It’s important to know the customer’s power needs and correctly plan. Many online calculators provided by battery manufacturers and other software simplifies determining battery capacity for load requirements.
Consider cost of ownership
There are several factors that should be taken into account when determining the total cost of ownership over the life of the battery.
• Price: A battery with a low price is always attractive, but if low price comes at the expense of quality and battery life, the need for frequent battery replacements could boost the cost over time. That’s why it’s important to consider issues other than price when making the decision.
• Capacity: Battery capacity is important because it’s a measure of the amount of energy stored in the battery.
• Voltage: The battery bank voltage must be considered to ensure it matches the system requirements. The battery bank voltage is often determined by the inverter specifications if installing a DC-to-AC system or by the voltage of the loads in a DC system.
• Cycle Life: The most critical consideration is cycle life, which provides the number of discharge/charge cycles the battery can provide before capacity drops to a specified percentage of rated capacity. Batteries from different manufacturers may have the same capacity and energy content and be similar in weight. But design, materials, process and quality influence how long the battery will cycle.
Battery ratings
The nameplate rating on a battery is the fully developed capacity, so it can be misleading to test a battery immediately after it is purchased because it may take up to 100+ cycles for it to reach its full capacity. Beware of batteries that promise full capacity at the time of purchase or those that reach full capacity after only a few cycles. Batteries with a 100+ cycle warm-up will always outlast thos touting a high initial capacity.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
My University Library
Don't worry, same here. I thought I was at least average until I got a new job where my boss and coworker make fun of me in a less subtle and quiet way than they think. Apparently I'm too skinny with a long face and a bad haircut. Now I'm pretty paranoid whenever someones looking in my direction or I hear giggling. Nope. I don't even know my password. That does scare me a bit, but it'll work out. Or not. My last phone had a reddit account saved with a similar name and unknown password. So I guess if I lose my phone I'm screwed.
I work at the airport and when I'm in the pits stacking all the bags I often see this written on the ceiling with all the other bag counts other rampies write on there so they don't forget the count. Always makes me laugh .Someone pointed you out a couple of days ago. Now I manage to notice you in 95% of the threads I read. Are there any you haven't commented on ,it's weird how that works. After you notice someone here it's relentless if they're on reddit a lot.
What's that effect where once something's pointed out to you, you see it everywhere? Cause that's gotta be what's going on here....What does it matter if you have a long face and bad haircut? Your hair can change at your whim, and it's not like your face is tubular or anything.
They're assholes. Man, that's so mean. You seem nice, and actually I've never seen someone with a long face who I've thought was actually ugly. You probably aren't ugly at all. Get out of there when you can. And be your own best friend at times like this - try to remember a few nice things people have said about you in the past, and remind yourself of that when these asshats act up. Don't let their voices echo in your head. Good luck. And if you need me to send them a message, like, mail them a dead castrated headless gerbil, you have but to ask.
One of the differences between children and mature adults is that adults typically don't feel the need for casual meaness against people who haven't wronged them. Their sense of empathy develops so that they judge people on things like their work ethic or developed skills, etc. If nowhere else than at least in the workplace. You know what, i think you're onto something! They were little fish in high school. Then they left school with all these dreams of being big fish but nope - bigger pond, and they're smaller fish in comparison. They're stuck there. You know it, they know it! And i bet if they ever thought about it it'd kill them inside.
Walk into a barbershop and say "fuck me up fam" boom bad hair gone you probably just gained like 4 points minimum on the 10 point scale, don't underestimate how much better looking every guy is with a slick haircut. If you're a girl then RIP don't know what to tell ya .Thank you! You guys are surprising nice on reddit. Well.. Mostly. But yes, I actually do look at it that way somewhat. I've been working out and trying to gain weight lately, but it's not easy. Makes me have a lot more respect for buff people. Everyone at my gym is fairly nice and helpful, like telling me when I have a terrible form that could hurt my back and showing me how to squat in a more safe way. Got off topic a tad, but thank you.
Personally, just someones personality really makes them attractive. I used to think this guy was super hot in high school then I actually tried to talk to him and all he could talk about was himself (including his apparently huge dick). He constantly was hitting on every girl there, in the most demeaning way. The next time I saw him he just disgusted me, physically I was even grossed out by him. The guy I spent 3 years with I didn't find super attractive at first but after getting to know him I thought he was the hottest thing. There may be a lot of people who think you aren't perfect and will voice that, but there will always be at least one person who thought you were amazing and attractive ..they were just too shy to say so...
I know you are talking about the mirror, but as someone who is responsible for self check out machines in the library system I work for, this is a better use of tax payer dollars than the machines.
I work at the airport and when I'm in the pits stacking all the bags I often see this written on the ceiling with all the other bag counts other rampies write on there so they don't forget the count. Always makes me laugh .Someone pointed you out a couple of days ago. Now I manage to notice you in 95% of the threads I read. Are there any you haven't commented on ,it's weird how that works. After you notice someone here it's relentless if they're on reddit a lot.
What's that effect where once something's pointed out to you, you see it everywhere? Cause that's gotta be what's going on here....What does it matter if you have a long face and bad haircut? Your hair can change at your whim, and it's not like your face is tubular or anything.
One of the differences between children and mature adults is that adults typically don't feel the need for casual meaness against people who haven't wronged them. Their sense of empathy develops so that they judge people on things like their work ethic or developed skills, etc. If nowhere else than at least in the workplace. You know what, i think you're onto something! They were little fish in high school. Then they left school with all these dreams of being big fish but nope - bigger pond, and they're smaller fish in comparison. They're stuck there. You know it, they know it! And i bet if they ever thought about it it'd kill them inside.
Walk into a barbershop and say "fuck me up fam" boom bad hair gone you probably just gained like 4 points minimum on the 10 point scale, don't underestimate how much better looking every guy is with a slick haircut. If you're a girl then RIP don't know what to tell ya .Thank you! You guys are surprising nice on reddit. Well.. Mostly. But yes, I actually do look at it that way somewhat. I've been working out and trying to gain weight lately, but it's not easy. Makes me have a lot more respect for buff people. Everyone at my gym is fairly nice and helpful, like telling me when I have a terrible form that could hurt my back and showing me how to squat in a more safe way. Got off topic a tad, but thank you.
Personally, just someones personality really makes them attractive. I used to think this guy was super hot in high school then I actually tried to talk to him and all he could talk about was himself (including his apparently huge dick). He constantly was hitting on every girl there, in the most demeaning way. The next time I saw him he just disgusted me, physically I was even grossed out by him. The guy I spent 3 years with I didn't find super attractive at first but after getting to know him I thought he was the hottest thing. There may be a lot of people who think you aren't perfect and will voice that, but there will always be at least one person who thought you were amazing and attractive ..they were just too shy to say so...
I know you are talking about the mirror, but as someone who is responsible for self check out machines in the library system I work for, this is a better use of tax payer dollars than the machines.
For Some Reason Cat Sits Like This Everyday
So you understand that the reason this is is that Bengals are just odd creatures in general. Side note: as someone who will hopefully be in the market for one, if you're trying to advertise to anyone? I'm the best candidate. They are really high energy and human like so I guess they are harder to care for. You have a good eye. It's not an Aby cat, it is a Bengal as the others have said. However, Bengals are quite often the product of crossing an Asian Leopard Cat with an Abyssinian, thus why you are seeing that particular physique here. Especially since this will be a few generations in, so more Aby than ALC blood.
See, I get that it's creepy, but it looks more like it's there to give me advice. Or if it's a spirit who's haunting me or some shit then it's a bored one, so it clearly doesn't give a fuck. And it has a wonderful accent that would get me lost in his voice as if I was in neverland! Ohhh boy! Please, oh please tell me more advice! That was my first thought lol My vet said it's not always worms or something bad, sometimes cats just like to scratch their buttholes...
The cat has an itchy asshole and is discreetly rubbing it... and you're making it difficult for it to do so. Fully expected to come in here and read a comment about how he's sitting that way to alleviate pain he's having because he has some sort of rare degenerative nerve disorder and he's going to die. Usually when my cat does that, it's because there are shadows, or sunlight, or (more importantly) a spider that needs to be killed. Word of caution: Bengals are not great starter cats. They have very high energy, much like a puppy that never grows up. They need a lot of stimulation or they will act out.
I can attest to this. We've got a Bengal who's four years old and is as energetic as a kitten but smarter than most dogs. If never buy anything but a Bengal again, they are too much fun.They also have therapy cats, puppies and dogs for this exact reason to help with PTSD & as service dogs .My mother used to breed bengals. The short answer: Not really. It's like they feed off of each other's energy. So really, you've just added to the party cats like to have at 3am. Bengal breeder, can confirm. Try having seven kittens and three adults at once. It's a full time job with quarter time pay!
Maybe 3K if you buy a stud cat that has won competitions or something. Mine was $600. Still very expensive for a cat, as you can get free cats, however they make great pets! I used to have 3 bangles and they are such weirdos! They almost have a dog-like personality. They'd all fetch and play more similar to dogs. And they'd always try to get in the shower with me. That's really sad, but at least the vet took the time to explain to that little girl why the cat was not coming home for Christmas. When I go to a new place, I have to find somewhere to smoke. It's quite an important thing, I have to be able to find solace in the grungiest of places. Usually sit down, somewhere to let my thoughts run and my mind empty. Sometimes it's a wall to sit on, or a fence, or just some cover... the best places are spots I can look out over a decent landscape, or into life as it moves on without me for the few minutes I eject myself into my spot.
Hey, bud. You know your mom and I love you more than anything, but these math marks aren't improving and we're going to have to take the Jeep, just for a while, until you can prove you're buckling down. Mr. Stevens said he's willing to work with you after school on Tuesdays, or we can find you a student tutor. Would you like that? Champ I know you're angry, but it's because we care about you and you being successful. Alright, love you bud. I'll close the door on our way out.
The floor is fucking with my head. Is it wet ? It's so fucking shiny. Is it wood flooring that's varnished and lacquered to the Max ?
See, I get that it's creepy, but it looks more like it's there to give me advice. Or if it's a spirit who's haunting me or some shit then it's a bored one, so it clearly doesn't give a fuck. And it has a wonderful accent that would get me lost in his voice as if I was in neverland! Ohhh boy! Please, oh please tell me more advice! That was my first thought lol My vet said it's not always worms or something bad, sometimes cats just like to scratch their buttholes...
I can attest to this. We've got a Bengal who's four years old and is as energetic as a kitten but smarter than most dogs. If never buy anything but a Bengal again, they are too much fun.They also have therapy cats, puppies and dogs for this exact reason to help with PTSD & as service dogs .My mother used to breed bengals. The short answer: Not really. It's like they feed off of each other's energy. So really, you've just added to the party cats like to have at 3am. Bengal breeder, can confirm. Try having seven kittens and three adults at once. It's a full time job with quarter time pay!
Maybe 3K if you buy a stud cat that has won competitions or something. Mine was $600. Still very expensive for a cat, as you can get free cats, however they make great pets! I used to have 3 bangles and they are such weirdos! They almost have a dog-like personality. They'd all fetch and play more similar to dogs. And they'd always try to get in the shower with me. That's really sad, but at least the vet took the time to explain to that little girl why the cat was not coming home for Christmas. When I go to a new place, I have to find somewhere to smoke. It's quite an important thing, I have to be able to find solace in the grungiest of places. Usually sit down, somewhere to let my thoughts run and my mind empty. Sometimes it's a wall to sit on, or a fence, or just some cover... the best places are spots I can look out over a decent landscape, or into life as it moves on without me for the few minutes I eject myself into my spot.
Hey, bud. You know your mom and I love you more than anything, but these math marks aren't improving and we're going to have to take the Jeep, just for a while, until you can prove you're buckling down. Mr. Stevens said he's willing to work with you after school on Tuesdays, or we can find you a student tutor. Would you like that? Champ I know you're angry, but it's because we care about you and you being successful. Alright, love you bud. I'll close the door on our way out.
The floor is fucking with my head. Is it wet ? It's so fucking shiny. Is it wood flooring that's varnished and lacquered to the Max ?
Optical Storage Stations Can Promote Storage to Achieve New Growth
Recently, by the China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association of energy storage applications Branch, Shenzhen Ke Lu Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., Shandong Shengyang Power Co., Ltd. jointly organized by the China Energy Storage Auditorium (Phase 6) More than 100 delegates from optical storage and charging station industry organizations, research institutes, and suppliers attended the meeting and discussed the development trend of the integration of optical storage and charging stations in the Beijing International Exhibition Center (Beijing). , Hot spots, pain points, new business models and other issues in-depth interpretation.
In recent years, the new energy automotive industry development spurt, driven by the rapid growth in demand for storage power station. "Industry statistics show that in 2015, China's charging and discharging storage integrated charging station investment size of 1.15 billion yuan, is expected to reach 10.37 billion yuan by 2020." China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association Branch Secretary-General Liu Yong energy storage applications In his speech, pointed out that with the development of energy storage industry is getting better, the industry's focus on light storage and integration projects rising concern, the huge market opportunities behind it is expected to spawn the next investment in the air, pry open energy storage industry New room for growth.
At this meeting, this reporter on the current development of China's light-filling project related issues, interviewed at the end of September this year, delivered another commercial side of the demand side of the megawatt-class power plant project, Shenzhen Ke Lu Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. Company (referred to as "Ke Lu Electronics") product operations manager Zhou Han.
Helping to achieve grid stability
In the future, the charging pile equipment will increase on a large scale, "but in the distribution network peak, the large-scale charging pile into the impact load, the stability of the power grid will have a very big impact." Zhou said, Dispatch platform construction lag, lack of demand response capacity, the peak charge will increase the peak-valley difference, resulting in increased operating costs of electricity. At the same time, this will also increase the substation construction, line construction and other power grids to upgrade difficult, resulting in a total of more than AC power bus power plant loss, causing overloading with variable weight, resulting in insufficient capacity of the entire power distribution network.
He also said that if the electricity market in the future to achieve open, short-term peak-valley electricity price difference will increase, the peak customer electricity costs will also increase.
"Distribution network system stability is reduced, the overall capacity is very serious problem, how to solve?" Zhou Han believes that this requires the energy management platform, charging equipment and energy storage system combined to achieve storage and storage combined application.
"With the further reduction in energy storage costs, its economy will become increasingly evident." Zhou Han said, energy storage can be flexible to absorb new energy, so that it does not produce grid impact, stable distribution network and off-grid operation, Flexible distribution of charging power, time and space peak power consumption, while no harmonic pollution, safety and health.
Therefore, "based on the many advantages of energy storage, through a large number of energy storage equipment, charging pile equipment access to energy management platform, it can take the initiative to do energy storage V2G, including the realization of charge pile charging control, thus passive response grid Demand, to achieve the stability of the entire power grid. "Zhou Han said.
With significant economic and social benefits
At present, the industry has a lot of light storage combined application of demonstration projects, and the formation of a certain arbitrage model.
"For example, Kelu Electronics has built a number of light storage projects, and the formation of a valley when the power from the grid, the peak discharge of photovoltaic, energy storage and the arbitrage between the grid model." Zhou Han said that when a large number of Energy storage devices and network control at the same time, it can be a large-scale peaking, FM, resulting in a good premium.
Zhou Han to Kelu electronic megawatt-class demand side of the energy storage applications Project Description: "In this project, including energy storage equipment costs, operating costs, including all the costs of about 9 million yuan, the project overall income of nearly 13 million Yuan, the annual net profit margin of 3 to 5 percentage points or so. "He said enterprises can also apply to the grid demand response, the current estimates, this part of the cost of about 1.5 million yuan a year.
Zhou Han introduced, at present, many large factories are adjusting the user load discharge, electricity behavior. "They are adjusted to the valley in the distribution network when the production and discharge." Zhou Han analysis, so, if the valley in the distribution network when charging, it will increase the virtual load of customer load, resulting in customer capacity transformer, thereby increasing electricity cost. If the peak load in the customer when the discharge strategy to be able to reduce the pressure of the customer transformer, thereby reducing the transformer cost of virtual volume. "In general, customers can reduce the cost of about 10% a year," he said.
Zhou Han further introduced, from the economic point of view, 100 megawatts of energy storage projects can replace the traditional side of the peak power plant power generation, compared to traditional power plants in peak shaving, FM and other ancillary services investment, 100 megawatts of energy storage projects can save about 3 Billion of investment, and nearly 450 million yuan of transmission and distribution investment. At the same time, demand for virtual power plant operating costs low response, the government can reduce the 1 ~ 250 million yuan of electricity peak load hot standby costs.
"In terms of social benefits, the optical storage and storage combined project will help to build, improve and perfect the flexible summer peak response system to ease the tension in power supply situation, enhance the reliability of power supply, while increasing the demand side to participate in the initiative, Enhance the stability of the electricity market and operating efficiency. "Zhou Han said.
In recent years, the new energy automotive industry development spurt, driven by the rapid growth in demand for storage power station. "Industry statistics show that in 2015, China's charging and discharging storage integrated charging station investment size of 1.15 billion yuan, is expected to reach 10.37 billion yuan by 2020." China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association Branch Secretary-General Liu Yong energy storage applications In his speech, pointed out that with the development of energy storage industry is getting better, the industry's focus on light storage and integration projects rising concern, the huge market opportunities behind it is expected to spawn the next investment in the air, pry open energy storage industry New room for growth.
At this meeting, this reporter on the current development of China's light-filling project related issues, interviewed at the end of September this year, delivered another commercial side of the demand side of the megawatt-class power plant project, Shenzhen Ke Lu Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. Company (referred to as "Ke Lu Electronics") product operations manager Zhou Han.
Helping to achieve grid stability
In the future, the charging pile equipment will increase on a large scale, "but in the distribution network peak, the large-scale charging pile into the impact load, the stability of the power grid will have a very big impact." Zhou said, Dispatch platform construction lag, lack of demand response capacity, the peak charge will increase the peak-valley difference, resulting in increased operating costs of electricity. At the same time, this will also increase the substation construction, line construction and other power grids to upgrade difficult, resulting in a total of more than AC power bus power plant loss, causing overloading with variable weight, resulting in insufficient capacity of the entire power distribution network.
He also said that if the electricity market in the future to achieve open, short-term peak-valley electricity price difference will increase, the peak customer electricity costs will also increase.
"Distribution network system stability is reduced, the overall capacity is very serious problem, how to solve?" Zhou Han believes that this requires the energy management platform, charging equipment and energy storage system combined to achieve storage and storage combined application.
"With the further reduction in energy storage costs, its economy will become increasingly evident." Zhou Han said, energy storage can be flexible to absorb new energy, so that it does not produce grid impact, stable distribution network and off-grid operation, Flexible distribution of charging power, time and space peak power consumption, while no harmonic pollution, safety and health.
Therefore, "based on the many advantages of energy storage, through a large number of energy storage equipment, charging pile equipment access to energy management platform, it can take the initiative to do energy storage V2G, including the realization of charge pile charging control, thus passive response grid Demand, to achieve the stability of the entire power grid. "Zhou Han said.
With significant economic and social benefits
At present, the industry has a lot of light storage combined application of demonstration projects, and the formation of a certain arbitrage model.
"For example, Kelu Electronics has built a number of light storage projects, and the formation of a valley when the power from the grid, the peak discharge of photovoltaic, energy storage and the arbitrage between the grid model." Zhou Han said that when a large number of Energy storage devices and network control at the same time, it can be a large-scale peaking, FM, resulting in a good premium.
Zhou Han to Kelu electronic megawatt-class demand side of the energy storage applications Project Description: "In this project, including energy storage equipment costs, operating costs, including all the costs of about 9 million yuan, the project overall income of nearly 13 million Yuan, the annual net profit margin of 3 to 5 percentage points or so. "He said enterprises can also apply to the grid demand response, the current estimates, this part of the cost of about 1.5 million yuan a year.
Zhou Han introduced, at present, many large factories are adjusting the user load discharge, electricity behavior. "They are adjusted to the valley in the distribution network when the production and discharge." Zhou Han analysis, so, if the valley in the distribution network when charging, it will increase the virtual load of customer load, resulting in customer capacity transformer, thereby increasing electricity cost. If the peak load in the customer when the discharge strategy to be able to reduce the pressure of the customer transformer, thereby reducing the transformer cost of virtual volume. "In general, customers can reduce the cost of about 10% a year," he said.
Zhou Han further introduced, from the economic point of view, 100 megawatts of energy storage projects can replace the traditional side of the peak power plant power generation, compared to traditional power plants in peak shaving, FM and other ancillary services investment, 100 megawatts of energy storage projects can save about 3 Billion of investment, and nearly 450 million yuan of transmission and distribution investment. At the same time, demand for virtual power plant operating costs low response, the government can reduce the 1 ~ 250 million yuan of electricity peak load hot standby costs.
"In terms of social benefits, the optical storage and storage combined project will help to build, improve and perfect the flexible summer peak response system to ease the tension in power supply situation, enhance the reliability of power supply, while increasing the demand side to participate in the initiative, Enhance the stability of the electricity market and operating efficiency. "Zhou Han said.
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