How to save on Electric Batteries? (1) Solar Accumulators are expensive

 Does your farm or your country house have problems with solar batteries?

Did you ever had a blackout and stay in the dark?

I will try to give some posts with practical solutions or trends.

Electric storage batteries are expensive

Isolated electrical systems based on the generation with small wind turbines or photovoltaic modules have a serious problem: the disparity between production (when the sun shines or wind blows) and consumption (when lit the bulbs, the appliances work, etc). Electrons can not be saved; the electric current, by definition, has to “run” and can not be directly stored.

 The only way is to do with chemical systems with storage battery. For a few isolated systems W (for example up to 3,000 Wp installed), the cost of the batteries remains raisonable.

But for larger facilities, the investment in storage battery make it difficult the project profitability. Even more if you count the batteries have a limited life (eg 10 years) and must be reinvested back after a while. Beware! Do not forget to consider batteries must be renewed from time to time!

What are the alternatives to large banks of batteries, so costly?

We will exploit some trends and examples, starting with the most economical and realistic and ending with the most futuristic:

- Energy efficiency and energy saving .- Strive to have efficient electrical equipment and spend little is the first step to save on batteries.

- Additional diesel generator .- It will seem environmentally unfriendly to someone, but it is currently the most cost-effective to replace a portion of the capacity of the batteries.

- Increase production capacity of photovoltaic or small wind .- It is better to have a certain “excess” generation capacity in the storage capacity.

- Accumulation by micro-hydro power .- The accumulation of energy in the form of potential energy and then convert it back into electricity through micro-hydro.

- Accumulation of compressed air .- Excess renewable production can be accumulate in compressed air mode to be converted back into electricity.

- Hydrogen and cell power .- Accumulation by hydrogen generation and the subsequent production of electricity with a clean cell.

 - New generations of batteries .- There are a number of developing new chemical storage battery to improve their cost and duration.

 - Other energy storage media .- Flywheels, thermal storage, etc…

We will see everyone in later posts, not consecutive. Do you know other electric storage systems? What do you do to save on batteries? Your opinion is relevant for us!

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