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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 30, 2017 15:24:34 GMT
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Post by Alex on May 31, 2017 19:44:30 GMT
I've got panels on my house and the biggest flaw is simply that we are not around for 5 out of the 7 periods of maximum generation each week. Having a battery pack charge up off he panels during the day for us to use in the evening makes absolute sense. I suspect the cost is somewhat prohibitive at present but they will undoubtedly become cheaper whilst power from the grid gets more expensive so I can see myself investing in this at some point in the future.
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Post by alf on Jun 1, 2017 11:27:37 GMT
Charging a big battery all the time then zapping the power across to the car - when present - makes a lot of sense. As Alex says, a lot of people that can afford a car are going to be at work when the sun is out...
I have various RC cars and drones and stuff, high power lights for nighttime mountain biking, and endless rechargeable batteries of various kinds. Almost inevitably, some fail very soon, and none seem to make it to the stated number of recharges. There are also significant fire risks with Lithium batteries when charging/discharging. That's my main concern about this whole area, fire risk and poor reliability. I've seen "battery warranties" talked about and they may help, but in my house both Mrs ALF and my daughter are paranoid about leaving anything on charge when we are out (I personally would leave, say, an iPad on charge but not a LiPo RC car battery). I can't see them loving the idea of a table-top sized lump of lithium batteries left charging all day when we are out. I'd buy good house insurance for sure!
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Post by michael on Jun 1, 2017 11:37:21 GMT
We've been idly looking at a house that's got a wind turbine already installed so this sort of thing, and the Tesla Powerwall have become interesting recently. The Powerwall can be mounted outside which might allay some concerns.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2017 11:40:36 GMT
Apparently Sodium batteries will be the next step. Much more rapid to charge and removal of fire risk. Still a few years from market, though.
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Post by Boxer6 on Jun 1, 2017 12:40:24 GMT
Charging a big battery all the time then zapping the power across to the car - when present - makes a lot of sense. As Alex says, a lot of people that can afford a car are going to be at work when the sun is out... I have various RC cars and drones and stuff, high power lights for nighttime mountain biking, and endless rechargeable batteries of various kinds. Almost inevitably, some fail very soon, and none seem to make it to the stated number of recharges. There are also significant fire risks with Lithium batteries when charging/discharging. That's my main concern about this whole area, fire risk and poor reliability. I've seen "battery warranties" talked about and they may help, but in my house both Mrs ALF and my daughter are paranoid about leaving anything on charge when we are out (I personally would leave, say, an iPad on charge but not a LiPo RC car battery). I can't see them loving the idea of a table-top sized lump of lithium batteries left charging all day when we are out. I'd buy good house insurance for sure! LiPo fires are NOT funny at all, and virtually impossible to put to once they've started due to the chemical make-up.
On the plus side, it's pretty difficult to get them alight unless you puncture them with (say) a screwdriver or similar; plenty of videos on YouTube about exactly that.
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Post by PG on Jun 2, 2017 9:26:08 GMT
I saw these recently advertised. Still expensive, but something like this is bound to become more widely available - Solar panels that track the sun Batteries to store power for later use / averaging of use Moving house - take it with you Smart Flower Solar img images |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2017 10:41:10 GMT
Something a member of one of the CAD forums I use did was was to adapt older double glazing units to heat water. I cannot remember what temp he got but anything you get for nearly free has got to be good.
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