Wanna go off-grid? Now you can officially do it with Tesla Powerwalls.

Please Note; Tesla withdrew support for off-grid applications of the Powerwall 2 in March 2023. Off-grid systems installed before March 31, 2023, would continue to be supported, but new off-grid installations after that date would not be recommended or covered by warranty.

For the ordinary on-grid customer, batteries are optional. They’re nice to have if you can afford them. Although they’re unlikely to pay for themselves, there are plenty of people who want them for backup, lower power bills, and the joy of using much less grid electricity.

But if you’re off-grid (as I am), batteries aren’t optional – they are how you get through the night and have the lights come on in the morning. [Read more…]

Table salt could hold the key to bigger, cheaper Li-ion batteries.

Just before Australia went into its traditional summer stupor, someone from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in America got in touch with me about research into single-crystal technologies for Lithium-ion batteries.

[Read more…]

Jason’s garage in Geraldton. Those funky looking black tubes are 4 x 1.93 kWh Zenaji batteries.

Jason Bertelsen isn’t a name in the renewables sector – he’s a customer. However, his story, in particular his decision to put money into Zenaji batteries, intrigued us enough to get in touch for an interview. [Read more…]

Ten years ago, a “couple of sparkies” from the Riverina headed north and set up an electrical services business in Mackay, Queensland, catering to the mining industry.

Today, Jason Sharam (managing director) and Peter Shaw (CEO) run an electrical services business with a very noticeable difference: they now have what is probably close to unique – an off-grid solar-powered manufacturing facility with “100% renewable” as its goal. [Read more…]

The LAVO hydrogen battery is a feat of engineering -but who will buy it?

If all you’ve ever wanted out of life is to own an Australian made, hydrogen-powered, fuel cell, energy storage system then I have some really good news for you.  In October, Australian company LAVO launched a hydrogen energy storage system for homes and businesses.  While it’s mainly a fuel cell, they refer to it as a hydrogen battery, so if you want to call it a battery knock yourself out. [Read more…]

Despite promising to reduce energy storage costs, Tesla keeps increasing the price of its Powerwall home battery.

On September the 23rd I woke up at 5:00 am to listen to Elon Musk’s Battery Day announcement where the world was told Tesla would cut the cost of batteries in half by 2025.  We were told they would:

• Lower the cost of battery cells.
• Lower the cost of battery factories.
• Reduce the cost of raw materials required.

[Read more…]

Will solar sales soon go to the dogs without batteries? Image: Adelaide Solar Safe

Australia has seen a decade of explosive growth in renewables, but there’s another big change coming. According to Green Energy Trading chair Ric Brazzale, we’re very close to the peak of new rooftop solar PV. [Read more…]

It’s 5:30 am and I’m sitting in SolarQuotes office waiting for Elon Musk’s big battery day announcement.  This is pretty early for me, so it had better be good.  I don’t normally come into the office until 5:45 am.  

I have no idea what Elon’s going to say except it’ll be about batteries.  [Read more…]

A battery shed near Alice Springs. Photo: Lloyd Peacock

The Northern Territory has the nation’s most generous solar battery subsidy: $6,000 off a battery system.  It’s already the biggest battery subsidy in Australia by a long way, and if the Country Liberals win the NT election this month they will double it to an insane $12,000.  And by insane, mean they’d be nuts to make it that high. [Read more…]

Batteries are, as we all know, recyclable – but some recycle better than others. Lead-acid batteries? The process is easy, familiar and cheap enough to leave a decent margin, so Australia has some local recycling plants.

But the future isn’t lead acid, is it? [Read more…]