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Title: New Tesla battery could take your home off the grid
Source:
inhabitat.com
URL Source: http://inhabitat.com/new-tesla-batt ... d-take-your-home-off-the-grid/
Published: Feb 18, 2015
Author: Cat DiStasio
Post Date: 2015-02-18 01:52:52 by James Deffenbach
Keywords: None
Views: 264
Comments: 2
Ever wish you could ditch your electric bill? Tesla is working on a house battery that could help you break up with your expensive utility company, essentially turning any home into an off-grid abode. Before you know it, a home in the suburbs could even generate enough energy to turn a profit by selling the excess back to a traditional electric company. Like many of Tesla’s projects, this one is coming up fast. Mastermind electric power guy Elon Musk announced in an investor call that the designs for the home battery are complete. The public could get a glimpse of the design within the next month or two, with production beginning in as little as six months. Tesla’s new stationary battery could be the gateway that finally links renewable energy to everyday consumers in a way that makes sense. The challenge of storing clean energy from solar or wind is one of the reasons people are sticking with grid power. Although Musk hasn’t commented on the cost of Tesla’s newest energy offering, chances are good that it will still represent a savings versus grid electricity over the course of its lifetime. An innovation in energy like this isn’t just for the chic eco-friendly homeowner. These batteries could be a huge benefit for those living in areas where grid power is unreliable due to power outages. Some people respond to that situation by installing a gas- or propane-powered generator, which isn’t always practical or affordable. The battery, which Musk promises will come packaged in an attractive-looking casing to fit in with any home’s decor, will also work for commercial properties. 
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#1. To: James Deffenbach (#0)
Yes,Yes,Yes!!! I installed my second battery bank in 2013. The first lasted 6 years and consisted of 4 strings of Trojan HC batteries at 24V for a total of 1680 amp- hours. Trojans require you to cycle down to 80% for longer life. I was not impressed. Now I have Crown forklift batteries for a total of 1500 amp-hr at 24V, but I can deep cycle them down to 50%, and they are awesome. I am unfortunately on my 3rd wind turbine, and I will have to go bigger in the future to get more durability. The winds on my farm destroy anything too small. I am into my 10th year of off-grid life, and it is a lot more than a battery. It is a careful lifestyle. You have to handle your own control systems, because not many electricians can help. They just don't do DC. You also have to learn to live within an energy budget both in total KWH use per day, and maximum amps at one time. For instance, I never run my microwave with the vacuum cleaner or washer, and I have not used a dryer in 10 years, which means a lot of lugging. Batteries need careful maintenance, with a meticulous watering cycle and hydrometer checks of each cell every 60 days. You have to know the energy draw of every single electrical device in your house.
But it must be great not to get those big power bills. Americans who have no experience with, or knowledge of, tyranny believe that only terrorists will experience the unchecked power of the state. They will believe this until it happens to them, or their children, or their friends. Paul Craig Roberts "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." Frederic Bastiat
#2. To: octavia (#1)
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