Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Battery Storage for Solar
Electricity
Bill Hennessy
Education Director, MAREA
What’s that glimmer in your eye?
A photon is a bundle of energy.
It’s the basic unit that makes up all light.
Most of our photons come from the sun.
When a photon hits our eye, it is turned into
electrical energy that is then transmitted to our
brain to form an image.
When the energy from photons is
absorbed by a solar cell, it causes
electrons to move, creating electricity.
This is the photovoltaic effect or PV.
A solar cell is a light‐sensitive surface
that converts the energy of a photon
into electricity that we can use.
Happy Birthday Solar Cell
62 years old yesterday
Bell Labs
In one hour, enough
photons hit the earth to
provide all the world’s
energy for one year.
But the sun doesn’t shine all the time.
The key to renewable success is storing
energy in batteries.
Batteries have been around a little longer,
but progress has been pokey at best.
Ben called his
Leyden Jar
invention a
“battery,” but
it is a
capacitor, a
way to store,
but not
generate
electricity.
Batteries Hit the Big Time
Samuel Morse brought
telecommunications to the world
by combining a series of batteries
and relays to send messages long
distances.
As for what he was saying:
For many years, Morse railed against
immigrants and Catholics. Halting
immigration was his main platform in an
unsuccessful run for mayor of NYC.
He didn’t stop there. In his treatise, An
Argument on the Ethical Position of
Slavery, Morse said slavery was sanctioned
by God.
What is a battery?
To be a battery one has to have:
Positive and negative terminals to store ions
Electrolyte to move them
Separator plates to
regulate the
ion movement
Enersys flooded lead acid batteries
Weight
3600 lbs
Dimensions
42x28x32
(inches)
Cost ≈
$15,000
48V @ 1000Ah ‐‐ 48kWh energy storage
Thomas Edison invents long‐life battery to power cars
To demonstrate the reliability of the Edison nickel‐iron battery, the
battery‐powered Bailey Electric went on a 1,000‐mile road trip in 1910.
The Encell Nickel‐Iron Battery
low energy and power density;
needs regular maintenance, but:
cycles well
has long life
tolerant charging practices
wide temperature range
nonflammable
Weight 300 lbs
Dimensions (WxHxD): ≈ 19x24x19 inches
Cost $3600
300Ah @ 12V – 3.6kWh of energy
Solar Impulse 2—Solar and L‐ion batteries
are powering this plane around the world
Motors output 8 hp (6 kW). That’s about the same power as
Orville & Wilbur had at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
Why Use Lithium in Batteries?
Lithium is the lightest of all metals,
has the greatest electrochemical potential and
provides the largest energy density for weight.
BatteryUniversity.com
Lithium Ion Battery Basics
The building blocks of a battery are the cathode and anode, and these two
electrodes are isolated by a separator. The separator is moistened with
electrolyte and forms a catalyst that promotes the movement of ions from
cathode to anode on charge and in reverse on discharge. Ions are atoms that
have lost or gained electrons and have become electrically charged. Although
ions pass freely between the electrodes, the separator is an isolator with no
electrical conductivity.
Slightly larger that a AA battery, this is the most
common Li‐ion size, with annual production
over two billion batteries. It fits everything
from laptops to Tesla cars.
“I shouldn't say like we are wedded to a
particular chemistry or anything like that. We
just want to use the best chemistry. Whatever
little can that contains the cathode and anode
and separator and electrolyte.”
Elon Musk, Tesla
Cost
Tesla Powerwall Specifications
$3,000
Energy 6.4kWh Power 3.3kW
Weight 220lbs
Dimensions ≈ 4ft x 3ft x 7in (WxHxD)
Battery Chemistry: NMC
(Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide)
Battery Development “Hype Curve”
Carnegie‐Mellon researchers used the rate of new technical papers
published about a particular battery chemistry to determine its
position in what they call the Hype Cycle: ranging from the initial
“innovation trigger” to the “plateau of productivity,” where lithium‐
ion (Li‐ion) batteries sit today.
Lithium‐ion cells with cobalt cathodes hold twice the
energy of a nickel‐based battery and four‐times that
of lead acid.
Lithium‐ion is a low maintenance system, an
advantage that most other chemistries cannot claim.
There is no memory and the battery does not require
scheduled cycling to prolong its life.
Nor does lithium‐ion have the sulfation problem of
lead acid that occurs when the battery is stored
without periodic topping charge.
“Our goal is to fundamentally change the
way the world uses energy,”
Elon Musk, Tesla Motors
Although the purchasing price of Li‐ion is higher than
lead acid, the cost per cycle is lower due to enhanced
longevity and immunity to partial charge.
Li‐ion is also one of the most efficient batteries in
terms of losses during charge and discharge.
“The daily cycling control constituent is nickel manganese
cobalt. It's quite a lot of manganese in there.
“Tesla’s storage battery is meant for daily cycling‐‐daily
deep cycling‐‐so it's 365 cycles a year.
“We expect to be able to daily cycle for something on the
order of 15 years.
“Obviously, warranty period would be a little bit less than
that. We expect it to be something that's in the 5000‐
cycle range capability.”
Elon Musk, Tesla Motors
When Sony introduced the first lithium‐ion battery in
1991, they knew of the potential safety risks.
A recall of the previously released rechargeable
metallic lithium battery was a reminder of the care
one must exercise when dealing with the high energy‐
dense battery system.
Although slightly lower in energy density, the lithium‐
ion system is safe, providing precautions are met
when charging and discharging. Today, lithium‐ion is
one of the most successful and safe battery
chemistries available.
BatteryUniversity.com
Stripped out section of Tesla car battery pack.
Car runs on 6800 Panasonic batteries.
Jason Hughes of Hickory, NC, couldn’t wait for the Powerwall.
The experimenter bought two battery packs from wrecked
Teslas and homebrewed his own PV backup system.
Off‐grid all‐electric home, powered by 44.4kW of modules
and Tesla batteries salvaged from wrecks.
Cost Guesstimate ≈ $200,000
Grid‐tied PV system
Grid‐tied system with battery backup
Starting fresh
Grid‐tied system with battery backup
Added to an existing PV system
The Economics of Battery Storage
Rocky Mountain Institute, October, 2015
IN ADDITION TO DECLINING COSTS, IT'S TIME TO ALSO FOCUS ON SERVICES AND
INCREASING VALUE
Batteries provide these benefits:
Back‐up power‐‐Assure power during outages
Self‐consumption of solar power generation‐‐Store
surplus solar energy not used at the time it is generated
and use that energy later when the sun is not shining.
Load shifting‐‐The battery provides financial savings to
its owner by charging during low rate periods and
discharging during more expensive rate periods.
Avoid or reduce peak demand charges‐‐ Batteries start
to provide power when loads are approaching peak
demand charge levels.
Energizer 100
Works with Fronius inverters
Uses Magnum Inverter
Battery Chemistry: LiFePO4
Nominal Capacity: 8.8 kWh
Cost $12,200
Uses SMA Sunny Island 120Vac
inverter
Energy: 6.74kWh
Power: 8kW
Weight: 210lbs
Dimensions (WxHxD): ≈ 27x14x19
inches
Battery Chemistry: Li‐ion NMC
Cost: ≈ $10,000
Uses any inverter set up for
batteries
Energy: 3.44 kWh
Power:
Weight: 76 lbs
Dimensions (WxHxD): ≈
13.5x14x8 inches
Battery Chemistry: Lithium Ferro
Phosphate
Cost: ≈
Uses Tabuchi 120 Vac inverter
Energy: 10 kWh Battery:
Power: 5.5 kW Weight: 242 lbs
Weight: 151 lbs Dimensions (WxHxD): ≈ 21x24x23 inches
Dimensions (WxHxD): ≈ 27x48x10 inches Battery manufacturer: Panasonic
Cost: ≈ $10,000
Adara Power
Formerly
Juicebox Energy
Uses Schneider Conext 5548 inverter
Energy: 8.6 kWh
Power: 8kW
Weight: 280lbs
Dimensions (WxHxD): 43x22x17 in
Battery Chemistry: Li‐ion NMC
Cost: ≈ $10,000
sonnenBatterie eco
Includes Outback inverter
Energy: 4.0 kWh
Power: Weight: 280lbs
Dimensions (WxHxD): 26x51x14 in
Battery Chemistry: Li‐ion Iron Phosphate
Cost: ≈ $10,000
Enphase AC storage battery
Does not provide backup power
Available next year,
Now sold in Australia
About $850 for each
1.2 kW unit.
Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery
Orison Battery Backup & Inverter
Too good to be true; best stay away
Funded through Kickstarter. Nothing
being shipped. No real specs on website
Closing thoughts
Li‐ion batteries are very expensive for back up storage
With PA’s current net metering rules, the situations
where Li‐ion batteries would work well do not exist.
If we lived in California or Hawaii, and had to deal
with peak load avoidance and time of use pricing on a
daily basis, they would be a good fit.
Or, if we lived in Nevada, where net metering was
gutted, self‐consumption using Li‐ion batteries would
work well.
For battery backup in PA,
stick with no maintenance agm or gel batteries
MK 8A8D AGM 245Ah $565 MK 8G8DLTP GEL 225 AH $616
AGM GEL
245Ah*12V=2.9kWh 225Ah*12V=2.7kWh
$565/2.9kWh≈$195/kWh $616/2.7≈$228/kWh
Tesla Powerwall
$3000 for 7.0 kWh≈$428/kWh
Futurist Ray Kurzweil said solar has been around for over
25 years, and its market share has doubled every two
years.
“In 2012, solar panels were producing 0.5% of the world’s
energy supply. Some people dismissed it, saying, ‘It’s a
nice thing to do, but at a half percent, it’s a fringe player.
That’s not going to solve the problem’,” Kurzweil said.
“They were ignoring the exponential growth just as they
ignored the exponential growth of the Internet…
“Now it is four years later, [and solar] has doubled twice
again. Now solar panels produce 2% of the world’s energy,
right on schedule. People dismiss it, ‘2%. Nice, but a fringe
player’.”
Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore’s book on technology
adoption. He says there is a chasm between the early
adopters of the product (the technology enthusiasts and
visionaries) and the early majority (the pragmatists).
Solar Energy
Battery Storage
Go Solar—Let’s keep coal in the ground
Breaker boys in the 1880s picking slate from coal at a
coal breaker in Pottsville, PA
Thank you. Questions?
Bill Hennessy
Mertztown, PA
610‐682‐4300
www.berkssolar.com
bill@berkssolar.com