{"id":5009,"date":"2015-09-23T13:03:08","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T03:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=5009"},"modified":"2017-10-24T13:52:48","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T03:22:48","slug":"we-ask-five-experts-will-battery-storage-change-the-way-we-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/we-ask-five-experts-will-battery-storage-change-the-way-we-live\/","title":{"rendered":"We ask five experts: Will battery storage change the way we live?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first of a series from SolarQuotes<\/a>, we ask five eminent experts in the clean energy field to discuss four questions on a selected topic. This month we\u2019ve selected \u201cbattery storage\u201d as the launching pad for some fascinating discussion and advice.<\/p>\n

Solar and battery storage has been one of the clean energy talking points of 2015 following the dramatic unveiling of the Powerwall<\/a> by Tesla\u2019s Elon Musk. However as we\u2019ve seen, the Powerwall isn\u2019t the only option out there in the marketplace and the best battery storage option will differ depending on your situation whether on-grid, off-grid or hybrid solar.<\/p>\n

With this in mind we\u2019ve asked our experts what these solar battery storage<\/a> breakthroughs mean for Australian households and small businesses and what the future holds for energy independence.<\/p>\n

Our Big Five panel of experts are:<\/p>\n

\"murielMuriel Watt<\/a>\u00a0– Head, Energy Policy & PV, IT Power Australia; and Senior Lecturer, School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of NSW, Muriel has worked in government energy agencies, private companies and universities on energy related matters since 1980, with a strong focus on renewable energy research, development, technologies, deployment and policies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"XantorXantor Weinberg<\/a>\u00a0– Owner and director of Energo, Xantor is a pioneer of the solar industry and one of the most experienced and highly qualified designers and installers in Australia. Xantor has worked as\u00a0head installer for larger government systems and schools contracts in NSW and also specialises in off grid and ground mounted system design.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"warwick\"Warwick Johnston<\/a>\u00a0– Founder of solar consultancy company SunWiz, Warwick is at the centre of helping solar businesses operate more effectively and efficiency. Sunwiz provides clean energy intelligence and looks to help solar businesses grow sustainably.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"LukeLuke Osborne<\/a> – Chief Operating Officer Reposit Power.\u00a0Luke has had vast experience working in the Australian, Canadian, USA, NZ and South African electricity sectors. He has been an executive in the electricity industry for over a decade and was formerly COO in Australia\u2019s most successful renewable energy company.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"GeoffGeoff Bragg<\/a> – As Chairman of NSW Solar Energy Industries Assoc<\/a> (SEIA), Secretary of the Australian Solar Council<\/a> (ASC) and Secretary of the Australian Energy Storage Council<\/a> (ESC), Geoff is one of the most qualified and experienced solar operators in the sector. As part of the team at New England Solar Power, he\u00a0provides technical and practical knowledge for a range of solar systems both on and off grid.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Question #1<\/strong> What do you say to Australians who ask \u201cwhat\u2019s the best battery storage for us\u201d?<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Warwick Johnston:\u00a0<\/b><\/em>\u201cIf you are connected to the grid and are looking to increase the utilisation of your solar energy, then lithium batteries are best, and you needn’t get a whopping big battery – the first few kWh of storage does the heavy lifting. If you’re not connected to the grid, then lead-acid batteries are the best bang for [your] buck.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Xantor Weinberg:\u00a0<\/b><\/em>\u201cI would suggest three things at present:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If you want to use a battery with predictable outcome, use lead\/acid or lead\/gel.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. If you want to use a potentially much better and \u2013 per kWh storage over its lifetime \u2013 cheaper battery, use lithium.<\/li>\n
  3. If you don\u2019t want to spend the money right now and want to wait for the lithium prices to come down, use AGM batteries.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These will last you 3 to 5 years and bridge the time until lithium batteries are a not such a big investment. I try to make it as simple as possible for the customers, so I ask them some questions and come up with a suggestion [based on their answers].<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    Muriel Watt:\u00a0<\/b><\/em>\u201cThis depends what they want to use storage for \u2013 to prevent export of PV electricity, to provide back-up during blackouts, to reduce demand during peak tariff periods, to reduce peak demand charges etc. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    For households with PV and who want to make sure they can use all the power they produce, lead-acid batteries are the best choice for now, because their performance is well established and installation standards are in place. \u00a0Li-ion batteries look promising, but we need to know more about the performance of the different types, under different conditions of use. \u00a0We also need to develop safety standards for use in houses. \u00a0Householders should check with their insurance companies before installing Li-ion batteries in their homes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    Luke Osborne:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>“The best storage is one that complements your home, your solar (if you already have it) and your consumption patterns.<\/p>\n

    There are several things to think about, starting with the space available. There are indoor-rated units and outdoor-rated units. Then of course there is the energy storage capacity, measured in kWh and the power, measured in kW. The GridCredits controller will use a system with more energy capacity to increase the self consumption ratio – meaning you consume more of the energy that is generated by your solar. If the unit is too small, it will fill up and you will lose solar to the grid. A high power unit will be able to keep up with large solar systems and\/or heavy instantaneous consumption.<\/p>\n

    A high power system will also be able to earn more with Reposit’s GridCredits<\/a> system, which sells energy back into the grid when there are price spikes. The more energy you can push out during the price spikes, the more you can earn.”<\/p>\n

    Geoff Bragg:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>“I’d say that depends on what you are trying to achieve. There are some critical questions that could be asked:<\/span><\/p>\n