I have a modest set of solar panels on an entirely ordinary house in suburban London. On average they generate about 3,800kWh per year. We also use about 3,800kWh of electricity each year. Obviously, we can't use all the power produced over summer and we need to buy power in winter. So here's my question: How big a battery would we need in order to be completely self-sufficient? Background …
There’s this thing that writers do called “thought experiments”. It is a form of intellectual exercise to examine what happens at extremes.
It helps us explore an idea by future gazing and, yes, getting a little ridiculous. Imagine someone in 1975 saying “what would the world be like if we all had Gbps Internet?”
There was nothing of that speed available for domestic use, but thinking about an “impractical” technology means they can ask “would video conferencing disrupt the travel industry?”
That’s what I’m doing. 25 years ago home solar was too expensive to be practical. 25 years ago having a 5kWh battery in your home was close to impossible.
In 25 years time will batteries be cheap enough for us each to have a MWh in the loft? I reckon so. What does the world look like when every home has the ability to be energy self-sufficient using solar?
In 25 years time will batteries be cheap enough for us each to have a MWh in the loft?
At $20k/$30k per mwh would make 100 kwh $2-$3k. 100kwh would still be more than you need, and so it is pretty affordable now.
There are some cheap/“bad discharge rate” chemistries like iron air. They’d be too heavy for loft, but could be foundation walls or crate in your back yard. Not a technology likely to be mass produced enough, and shipping costs very high.
What does the world look like when every home has the ability to be energy self-sufficient using solar?
We were at this point in 2019. The raw materials are 1/3 the price today. 100kwh is already more than you need. Corruption of tariffs, and artificial price barriers by electric monopolies and their regulator minions inflate prices in our countries.
There’s this thing that writers do called “thought experiments”. It is a form of intellectual exercise to examine what happens at extremes.
It helps us explore an idea by future gazing and, yes, getting a little ridiculous. Imagine someone in 1975 saying “what would the world be like if we all had Gbps Internet?”
There was nothing of that speed available for domestic use, but thinking about an “impractical” technology means they can ask “would video conferencing disrupt the travel industry?”
That’s what I’m doing. 25 years ago home solar was too expensive to be practical. 25 years ago having a 5kWh battery in your home was close to impossible.
In 25 years time will batteries be cheap enough for us each to have a MWh in the loft? I reckon so. What does the world look like when every home has the ability to be energy self-sufficient using solar?
At $20k/$30k per mwh would make 100 kwh $2-$3k. 100kwh would still be more than you need, and so it is pretty affordable now.
There are some cheap/“bad discharge rate” chemistries like iron air. They’d be too heavy for loft, but could be foundation walls or crate in your back yard. Not a technology likely to be mass produced enough, and shipping costs very high.
We were at this point in 2019. The raw materials are 1/3 the price today. 100kwh is already more than you need. Corruption of tariffs, and artificial price barriers by electric monopolies and their regulator minions inflate prices in our countries.