Home battery storage to revolutionise solar industry

[bob10]

Home battery storage to 'revolutionise' solar industry in Australia: Climate Council report - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-21/home-battery-storage-to-revolutionise-solar-industry/6870444)

[JDNSW]

While this is certtainly the future of home power, I think the three years is very optimistic - perhaps ten is more realistic, and it could be a lot longer.

Technically, it has been possible for years, but as the article points out, cost of batteries is the major problem. While cost of batteries can be expected top decrease, and life to increase, it seems to me to be rather optimistic to expect 50% cost reduction in the next few years. Batteries of all types are already made in very large numbers, and most of the gains from scale of production have already been made.

Worth noting that in the twenty years I have been on standalone power, there has been a more than 50% reduction in the cost of solar panels and probably the same or even more in the necessary electronics - but no significant reduction in battery costs. Breakthroughs in battery design in this period have been in energy/weight, but not in energy/cost.

John

[bob10]

This fellow seems to have worked it out


Lateline - 06/10/2015: Going off the grid - does the good old fashioned battery hold the key to powering our homes? (http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2015/s4326388.htm)

[JDNSW]

Second hand batteries are hardly going to revolutionise the power industry, but there is a small steady supply of these, from applications (such as data centres, telephone exchanges etc) that have batteries for backup that are replaced well before their expected life, because absolute reliability is needed.

John

[carlschmid2002]

We need better incentives from government. When my Dad went off the grid in Tassie half of the cost was refunded. Not any more.

[DiscoMick]

State governments are addicted to profits from their power companies so don't want to encourage people to cut their links to the grid. Government owned power companies can get cheaper interest on their loans. Its a mutual dependence.
Battery technology is already here. Costs are already falling.

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