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https://interestingengineering.com/switz...perational?
Pumped storage hydro, at scale.
Giving every HELCO customer a Powerwall is probably the cheapest option, but it doesn't keep the money in the pockets of the "right" people, so we won't be seeing that kind of innovation.
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I've looked at different battery solutions and it seems like the Enphase system is superior to the Tesla one.
They use a battery that doesn't have to be cooled. Also it won't explode.
If you lose power, you can use the panels to power the house during the sunshine hours. It's only at night when the panels aren't producing that you revert to the battery.
With the Tesla system, if you lose power, you immediately go to battery power until the battery gets below a certain threshold, at which point the panels will start to recharge it. If this happens near the end of sunlight... well...
At least that's how it was explained to me by people who install them. If anyone has heard different, please correct me. I don't have a system (yet) so I'm all ears.
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(07-06-2022, 11:23 PM)Chas Wrote: Enphase system is superior to the Tesla one.
They use a battery that doesn't have to be cooled. Also it won't explode.
Cooling batteries prolongs their lifespan.
This is true for lead acid batteries as it is for lithium ones.
For the same reasons cooling CPU / GPU will cause PCs to last longer.
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We have a Tesla Powerwall. Solar energy first goes to the house, then to charge the battery and then to be sold to Helco. If power goes out during the day, it doesn't affect the system since we're drawing energy from the solar panels. If the power goes out at night, we're running off the battery. We've never run out of battery at night when the grid was down, though that could happen if it's been rainy and battery wasn't charged enough.
Certainty will be the death of us.
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07-07-2022, 01:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-07-2022, 01:12 AM by Chas.)
Thanks for that clarification. It didn't sound right when it was explained to me, and I was wondering. In a lost power situation, it just wouldn't make sense to not use the power from the panels during the day.
How do you like your system?
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Love it. But I'll love it even more when it's paid for. One more year...
Certainty will be the death of us.
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(07-06-2022, 05:59 PM)kalakoa Wrote: Giving every HELCO customer a Powerwall is probably the cheapest option, but it doesn't keep the money in the pockets of the "right" people, so we won't be seeing that kind of innovation.
Distributed systems are harder to control.
What if neighbors wanted to start sharing just with each other? The tech exists. The people who control our rates are not going to let us have access to it.
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The people who control our rates are not going to let us have access to it.
Except possibly on Kauai.
