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rocky_warrior

Quote from: Plaque Lives Matter! on September 20, 2024, 12:50:17 PM
Energy is really hard to store long term but it's getting much better. There's been some pretty interesting work going on involving advanced storage with hybrid wind/solar farms (peak energy demand often coincides with high generation of one or the other but not both).

Where you run into big problems with the equipment is aggressive production curtailment when demand is lower, so they're trying to figure out how to best minimize that through siphoning off the power into storage. Electricity degrades pretty quickly, but if they can come up with some solutions there they can manage the grid demand and production way better. Would be a game changer for managing rural grids.

There's so much open wasteland in Texas a lot of people pretty much realized they may as well generate power on it from free natural resources. Staffing these facilities is the real challenge but not relevant here.

Figured I'd go ahead and start a new thread.

Curious about your take on Iron Air batteries.  Apparently some coming to MN and CO.  Obviously not space/size efficient, but as you stated, plenty of land to work with.
https://www.energy-storage.news/xcel-energy-1gwh-minnesota-project-with-form-energys-iron-air-batteries-approved/
https://coloradosun.com/2023/01/27/xcel-energy-renewable-battery-storage-pueblo-comanche-form-energy/

I'm watching the progress on gravity batteries.  We'll see, I feel like pumped hydro is a better solution here.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/two-massive-gravity-batteries-are-nearing-completion-in-the-us-and-china

jesmu84

Quote from: rocky_warrior on September 20, 2024, 12:57:03 PM
Figured I'd go ahead and start a new thread.

Curious about your take on Iron Air batteries.  Apparently some coming to MN and CO.  Obviously not space/size efficient, but as you stated, plenty of land to work with.
https://www.energy-storage.news/xcel-energy-1gwh-minnesota-project-with-form-energys-iron-air-batteries-approved/
https://coloradosun.com/2023/01/27/xcel-energy-renewable-battery-storage-pueblo-comanche-form-energy/

I'm watching the progress on gravity batteries.  We'll see, I feel like pumped hydro is a better solution here.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/two-massive-gravity-batteries-are-nearing-completion-in-the-us-and-china

Can you go through your process of solar + powerwall purchase/install? Or send PM?

Particularly interested in your solar

rocky_warrior

#2
I buried it in the EV thread earlier, but let me know if you have other Qs...

Quote from: rocky_warrior on June 07, 2024, 08:37:24 AM
I really should start a "solar" thread I guess, but my recent story as it relates to home backup batteries (and vaguely vehicle batteries).

Last summer I got a quote for solar on my roof, and really wanted a backup battery included.  Talked to a couple installers and they both said it made no financial sense to install a battery - basically you end up paying so much per kWh that you might as well go and buy an EV and get a much better value.  For a completely unrelated reason, I decided not to install last year.

About a month ago, I got an email from one of the companies about a deal on solar panels so I started the discussion again.  I didn't even ask about a battery, figuring it was still not a good option.  The quote I got back was for a few thousand less than last year (after all rebates and credits).  But he threw in another quote including the (new) Powerwall 3.  It was only $700 more than solar alone!  Also still less than last years quote.  Done deal.

What changed?  Well, a lot I guess.  But Colorado added a state tax credit for batteries that shaved a couple thousand off the price, and the Utility (Xcel) is paying for 50% of it to use a a grid backup solution (more on that shortly).  Additionally, the PW3 now has a DC/AC inverter (11.5kW) included at about the same cost as the PW1/2, which means that the installers don't need to purchase some other inverter for the solar installation. 

So back to the battery grid backup - Xcel pays for half of my battery, and I sign a contract that says Xcel can use up to 60% of my battery capacity to feed the grid during up to 60 days of the year when they expect bad weather / high peak demand.  40% is always reserved for my use (and 100% on the other 305 days per year).

Quote from: rocky_warrior on June 09, 2024, 10:18:47 PM
Right.  My all in price (installed, permitted, connected) is almost exactly $20k after 30% fed tax credit (all might not have enough liabilities to be eligible), ~$5.5k from xcel, and ~$1.2k CO tax credit (for battery).  A good friend had a natural gas whole home Gererac installed for ~$11k.   Of course, I don't have natural gas service.  I could have a propane tank installed, but...more expense....so solar with a PW made more sense.  Especially since it'll likely pay itself off in 8 years (with $0 electric bills).  A Generac never really "pays itself off" - but is convenient.

Maybe it's all marketing, but the solar installer also claims the system / panels will basically immediately add $20k value to the house.  I'm not counting on it, but I'd believe it adds value.

The PW3 will do continuous 11.5kW, though the battery is "only" 13.5kWh so only a little over an hour if your using the whole capacity - and maybe not enough if you want to run the hot tub, dryer, oven, and water heater at the same time..  However, if I know I'm on battery, I can probably stretch it out to...well forever assuming it mostly charges the next day (only should take a little over 1hr of sun in my system).

Regarding my last sentence, the PW3 only charges the batteries at ~5kW, so it'll really take closer to 3 to charge.  The excess my house can use (or will be exported to the grid). 

edit:  Guess I never stated that it's a 9.6kW solar array, using 24 REC 400W panels (N-Peak3).  They're not the newest technology, but that's partly why I got a "deal".


This is what Orwell warned us about…SMH

Quote from: rocky_warrior on September 20, 2024, 12:57:03 PM
Figured I'd go ahead and start a new thread.

Curious about your take on Iron Air batteries.  Apparently some coming to MN and CO.  Obviously not space/size efficient, but as you stated, plenty of land to work with.
https://www.energy-storage.news/xcel-energy-1gwh-minnesota-project-with-form-energys-iron-air-batteries-approved/
https://coloradosun.com/2023/01/27/xcel-energy-renewable-battery-storage-pueblo-comanche-form-energy/

I'm watching the progress on gravity batteries.  We'll see, I feel like pumped hydro is a better solution here.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/two-massive-gravity-batteries-are-nearing-completion-in-the-us-and-china

I don't know enough about iron or gravity batteries to offer an opinion on their efficacy in all honesty, only that these novel diverse experiments are good indicators of staying power of the battery concept itself.

I've actually been to that site in Pueblo you posted though! Got my green chile and covid from that work trip. For a place like Pueblo I'm assuming the pumped hydro isn't as viable an option given the region's worsening water constraints.

rocky_warrior

Quote from: Plaque Lives Matter! on September 20, 2024, 03:32:55 PM
I don't know enough about iron or gravity batteries to offer an opinion on their efficacy in all honesty, only that these novel diverse experiments are good indicators of staying power of the battery concept itself.

I've actually been to that site in Pueblo you posted though! Got my green chile and covid from that work trip. For a place like Pueblo I'm assuming the pumped hydro isn't as viable an option given the region's worsening water constraints.

Fair... Iron Air is the target at Pueblo, and it seems like a great solution.  We'll see

Sorry about the COVID, glad you got some green chili!


rocky_warrior

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/america-s-biggest-renewable-project-is-nearly-finished-the-remaining-challenges-and-lessons-learned/ar-AA1rvlYZ

Quote"Permitting reform is essential to us accelerating the energy transition," said Kristina Lund, the president of Pattern Energy, a private company based in San Francisco, in an interview. "Sun Zia was being permitted for 17 years. What that means is that there were four different presidential administrations, 11 different heads of the Bureau of Land Management. It's highly costly. It's really difficult to make sure that the prioritization stays constant."


JWags85

AWAY, the luggage brand, has the best  external batteries on the market (that aren't enormous or heavy for multiple devices at once).  This is just a fact.

That's the only firm and researched opinion on batteries I have at this time.

rocky_warrior

Quote from: JWags85 on October 01, 2024, 01:24:13 PM
AWAY, the luggage brand, has the best  external batteries on the market (that aren't enormous or heavy for multiple devices at once).  This is just a fact.

That's the only firm and researched opinion on batteries I have at this time.

How many suitcases to power a house?  ;D

rocky_warrior

Quote from: Plaque Lives Matter! on October 01, 2024, 01:17:49 PM
I'm involved with this project! (For the love of god permitting reform now please)

Much smaller scale - but my roof solar project is complete, passed county inspection...and everything is sitting idle waiting for xcel to give permission to operate (interconnection agreement has already been signed...).  Sigh.  Nobody knows exactly when that will happen.

rocky_warrior

Ireland now planning an Iron Air battery system.  Again using Form Energy batteries...

https://renews.biz/95979/futurenergy-files-battery-planning-application/

tower912

Google 'chinese solar farm'.   That, in conjunction with their commitment to EV's, means that China might actually reduce their emissions to the point that it is noticeable globally.
Luke 6:45   ...A good man produces goodness from the good in his heart; an evil man produces evil out of his store of evil.   Each man speaks from his heart's abundance...

It is better to be fearless and cheerful than cheerless and fearful.


rocky_warrior

Quote from: Plaque Lives Matter! on October 04, 2024, 10:52:55 PM
Whoa!

https://www.chron.com/news/article/texas-ercot-power-grid-energy-19814295.php

That would be cool... And beneficial.  I won't dox you, but your pattern of posting makes me think I know who you work for, lol

This is what Orwell warned us about…SMH

Quote from: rocky_warrior on October 05, 2024, 10:47:03 AM
That would be cool... And beneficial.  I won't dox you, but your pattern of posting makes me think I know who you work for, lol


rocky_warrior


rocky_warrior

Another competitor in the long duration battery, Noon Energy..

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/long-duration-energy-storage/noon-energy-raises-28m-for-a-whole-new-kind-of-long-duration-storage
Quotet starts with a tank of carbon dioxide. Noon's battery stores energy by using electricity to split the CO2 into solid carbon and oxygen gas; to discharge, it reverses the operation, oxidizing the powdery solid carbon. The active ingredients are so cheap that Noon pays more for the tanks to store them in, Graves said.

Also...

QuoteGraves says his carbon-based storage is in fact three times as energy-dense as lithium-ion.

Impressive, if true.  But not much news out of them in 2024.  Looks like a contract for a 10MWh trial in California and that's about it.

rocky_warrior

Maybe it's just hitting my news feed because I'm an electric junkie, but are people still not familiar with heat pumps?

Over 4 years ago I replaced an electric water heater with a heat pump version, and my electric bill dropped nearly in half.

Two years ago I put a Fujitsu cold climate heat pump (still heats to -17 F) in my current house which only uses electric baseboards or wood burning fireplaces for heating, and now I generally keep the house 8 degrees warmer for 17% less.

If you're not on the heat pump wagon, get on it!

Scoop Snoop

Quote from: rocky_warrior on November 25, 2024, 08:15:29 AMMaybe it's just hitting my news feed because I'm an electric junkie, but are people still not familiar with heat pumps?

Over 4 years ago I replaced an electric water heater with a heat pump version, and my electric bill dropped nearly in half.

Two years ago I put a Fujitsu cold climate heat pump (still heats to -17 F) in my current house which only uses electric baseboards or wood burning fireplaces for heating, and now I generally keep the house 8 degrees warmer for 17% less.

If you're not on the heat pump wagon, get on it!

Agree with your heat pump comments completely. I'm surprised that you wrote "wood burning fireplaces" though. I thought you would have at least one set up with a wood stove venting up the flue in case of a long power outage. Electric baseboard? Yeah, I easily get why you would not want to rely on those energy hogs. We have a couple for our walk-out basement, but only as supplemental heat to help out our heat pump because of the chilling factor of being partially in-ground. I have to admit that when our heat is on gas back-up mode, it sure feels nice.

We have generator that is now too old to repair (parts unavailable), so it is kaput. Over the years, our electric company has been able to get the power back up much quicker than they did in the past, so the generator will not be replaced. Now they have electronic sensors alerting them to exactly where the downed lines are, even if they are deep in a forested area. Trees are trimmed via a helicopter in forested areas. A huge, scary-looking chain saw dangles below the chopper and is operated by remote control. 

Wild horses couldn't drag me into either political party, but for very different reasons.

"All of our answers are unencumbered by the thought process." NPR's Click and Clack of Car Talk.

rocky_warrior

Quote from: Scoop Snoop on November 25, 2024, 09:55:27 AMI'm surprised that you wrote "wood burning fireplaces" though. I thought you would have at least one set up with a wood stove venting up the flue in case of a long power outage.

Technically, now two (I have 3!) of them are modern wood stoves.  I guess they were all wood stoves, but 50 years old from the Montgomery Ward catalog!  I think at least 2 of them were intended to use coal.  A blast from the past!

The 3rd is a historic "award winning" home comfort in the kitchen.  It works, but I don't fire it up unless I lose power and it's really cold.  Looks like this:



But now I've got solar and powerwall for those electric outages.

Quote from: Scoop Snoop on November 25, 2024, 09:55:27 AMA huge, scary-looking chain saw dangles below the chopper and is operated by remote control. 

Hah, horror movie stuff.  Our electric co. uses helicopters for line surveys, but sends in manual crews for the trimming.

Scoop Snoop

#22
Love the stove! And the real-deal log cabin. Not a modern version of one. I'm jealous.
Wild horses couldn't drag me into either political party, but for very different reasons.

"All of our answers are unencumbered by the thought process." NPR's Click and Clack of Car Talk.

rocky_warrior

Quote from: Scoop Snoop on November 25, 2024, 10:14:07 AMLove the stove! And the real-deal log cabin. Not a modern version of one. I'm jealous.

That's not mine (or my chalet), just looks like mine.

Scoop Snoop

Quote from: rocky_warrior on November 25, 2024, 10:19:46 AMThat's not mine (or my chalet), just looks like mine.

So much for your rugged mountain man image.
Wild horses couldn't drag me into either political party, but for very different reasons.

"All of our answers are unencumbered by the thought process." NPR's Click and Clack of Car Talk.


MU82

These batteries could harness the wind and sun to replace coal and gas

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/interactive/2024/flow-batteries-renewable-energy-storage/?

SAPPORO, Japan — Ocean winds whip across the beaches, hillsides and sprawling plains of Hokkaido. There's enough wind energy here for Japan's northernmost island to power itself and export clean electricity to the rest of the country.

But Hokkaido can't harness all of that power unless it has a way to store energy when breezes are blowing and use it later when the gusts die down.

So, the island is turning to a new generation of batteries designed to stockpile massive amounts of energy — a critical step toward replacing power plants fueled by coal, gas and oil, which create a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Hokkaido is facing a problem that is starting to confront power grids around the world. For the past 150 years, utilities have stored energy in piles of coal or tanks of gas that can be burned on demand. But as countries switch from fossil fuels to clean energy, they need a new kind of backup system that can deliver power whenever someone flips a light switch, not just when the sun shines or the wind blows.

"Most utilities are definitely recognizing that if they're adding renewables, they have to add storage," said Vanessa Witte, a senior analyst at the energy data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie.

After decades of development, the world has figured out how to make wind turbines and solar panels cheaply and at massive scale. They're starting to make a dent in energy production, accounting for 15 percent of electricity globally, according to the International Energy Agency. But now, a few of the regions that have adopted wind and solar most aggressively are finding some of that energy goes to waste because they can't store it.
"It's not how white men fight." - Tucker Carlson

"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." - George Washington

rocky_warrior

Non-paywall version... (And since MU82's post doesn't mention it, they are "flow batteries")

https://www.yahoo.com/news/batteries-could-harness-wind-sun-172548718.html

Scoop Snoop

The article that MU posted focused on storing power. Before our electric co op set up their current program of being able to restore power quickly, we often relied upon our generator for quite a while until the lines were back up. The generator was a perfect example of wasted power. Whether or not we used all that it generated (we didn't), the cost was there, and compared to our co op's rate, it was very expensive electricity.
Wild horses couldn't drag me into either political party, but for very different reasons.

"All of our answers are unencumbered by the thought process." NPR's Click and Clack of Car Talk.

rocky_warrior

Yeah, battery storage HAS to be part of the utility plan - not to mention it's cheap relatively.

I've finally got my solar and powerwall system running, and except for some parasitic losses from the powerwall, it's efficient at just being ready should power go out.  I've only had a quick 5 min outage since it was installed, but it switched over and back seamlessly.  Mine is setup as a whole house backup though, so I do need to be careful about loads when power is out.  The 11.5kW inverter will handle my whole house, but with only 13.5kWh of battery power, it *could* drain quickly.

Another nice feature (when your not relying on it for backup), is that it allows for time-shifting power user.  i.e. - it will charge during the day, and you can set it to discharge in the evening instead of using power from the grid at peak prices.

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