I grew up in the rural state of Tennessee, the power outage was frequent and sometimes fun. With no TV or lights, we played toys in candles or playing abroad if the storm stops. But because my family also turned a restaurant outside our house, and sometimes spoiled food in refrigerators, which led to thousands of dollars from the lost groceries. It never happened to me so many years ago that a big battery can solve this problem one day.
Due to the aggravation of the harsh weather due to climate change, which leads to millions of other electricity outages, the household batteries industry flourish. Home batteries are not like AAA batteries that enter the TV remote control. They are large coins of high -capacity ion ion designed to operate multiple devices and devices in case of power outages. The amount of energy that can be stored in residential batteries, which is measured in Gigawatt (GWH) watches, grew, by 54 percent from 2023 to 2024, according to a new report on Energy storage in the United States. It is now sufficient to provide up to one million homes. Growth is greater in Europe.
Many household batteries are used to store energy from solar panels, but there is a prosperous market for backup batteries that can keep basic devices, such as refrigerators, which operate during power outages. Some of these batteries are also smart enough to charge them when the energy is cheap and then emptying when it is expected to provide utility bills. We also started seeing compact batteries that make them more efficient and effective.
Solving the lost grocery problem is only the beginning. With the addition of more battery capacity to their homes, the power network can become More flexible nails in energy use And reduce costs for everyone. While the number of battery -running houses still constitute a minority of all homes in the United States, household batteries have become more affordable and accessible, providing the normal American family the opportunity to benefit from what is provided by an outside future.
One of the most interesting house batteries that she encountered is made by PioliteThe New York -based Brooklyn Company, which has started building camps can charge your phone. Backup by Piolite It is a home battery specifically designed for the problem of the dead refrigerator, or any other dead devices. The basic unit is a slim battery package that can fit behind the refrigerator or sit over it. It is connected to a standard wall outlet and does not require a contractor or any replacement of the installation. Simply connect the refrigerator and any other devices in the reserve energy sector, and it is ready to take over in the event of a power outage. It gives you a backup battery of $ 2000 from 15 to 30 hours of energy, and if you collect many batteries together, you can get a few days of energy.
“This is not supposed to be a suitable product for a solar battery storage expert at the edge of bleeding,” Irika Rosen, Vice President of Marketing at Piolite, told me when I visited the Biolite headquarters in March. “This is for people who, like,” I just threw $ 500 of grocery stores. I can never do this again. “
This example hit the house for me. But this is not what I think is very useful in the capabilities of household batteries. For people who pay attention to their energy bills, backup and other home batteries are easy to benefit from Pricing the time of use provided by some facilitiesWhich makes electricity cheaper during low and higher demand hours when the demand is high. Backup, for example, works with an application that allows you to schedule the battery to kick during high demand hours; Biolite plans to update the application in the end so that this feature works automatically.
Delivery of solar panels in these batteries gives you more independence on your energy sources. Once the electricity actually generates, you can fill your home batteries without drawing from the network at all. If there is interruption, the panels can maintain these charged batteries when the sun comes out. If your utility is to provide, you can also take advantage of something called Pure measurementAnd that enables you to sell some of this energy stored to the network during the peak of demand.
If the battery -working living life seems to be attractive, there are now more creative ways to mitigate this. A company called Copper has started selling its stoves equipped with batteries this year. $ 6000 Charlie copper It is an electrical incitement range with a rechargeable ion battery inside it programmed to charge it when the electricity is cheaper. The domain is connected to a regular wall outlet-other topics requires an outlet over 240 volts that have no homes-and the battery is a battery. Sufficient strength for daily cooking. It also begins during the power outage so that you can continue to cook if the lights come out. The battery also gives the oven to a boost, so that the heating is faster.
However, there is something that cannot be stopped around the home battery revolution.
This is the first among many devices with the help of batteries that copper plans to make, according to Wildon Kennedy, co -founder of the company and chief marketing official. It is not difficult to imagine how the basic backup features of the Charlie stove work in the hot water heater or washing machine. These types of devices require a large amount of energy at one time and then sit down in lethargy for hours at a time. It makes sense to charge it when the energy is cheap and then emptying that stored energy later.
Kennedy told me: “Since you do not have these giants in the field of energy over the electrical network, for example, six o’clock when everyone operates their electric stove.” “It makes the entire system better.”
Nothing of this comes cheap. Charlie Charlie Group and Backup by Piolite are four -digit investments. There are other companies in space as well, but they are expensive. The motivation makes Battle stove is equipped This also costs $ 6000, and sells Jakry A. Home backup battery For $ 3500 and above. You can find more expensive and comprehensive home battery systems than companies such as companies Timingand DenyAnd Blueotti. There are some Government support programs Available to compensate for these high costs, but at least at the federal level, it is not clear whether the Trump administration will keep it in place.
However, there is something that cannot be stopped around the home battery revolution. Since some solutions become cheaper and easier to use, such as biolite backup, other options have become more attractive. Electric cars, after all, are basically large batteries on wheels, and an increasing number of auto manufacturers can Shipping dual -directionWhich allows your car to run your home or send energy to the network. General Motors is working with some facilities companies to help their car owners buy the necessary equipment Convert EVS to home batteries.
However, with the Trump administration hostile to clean energy, the United States is behind Europe and China to adopt more battery energy. but The cost of the battery production It falls quickly, and we must expect to see the batteries appear in more home appliances in the near future. After all, only one large battery can provide you with a refrigerator from grocery stores in the following power outages, and this interruption certainly comes. Climate change makes the weather more extreme and unpredictable, which means that it is more important than ever To be ready for anything.
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