The best batteries for this type of situation are the flow batteries. Cost is still an issue but there is a huge amount of research going into them including a new alkaline flow battery. They don’t degrade over multiple of cycles like a lithium battery. The current vanadium ones are too expensive. So unless the Tesla battery drops in price by 70%, I don’t see them being a commercial alternative if you have spend several thousand dollars replacing them in 5-8 years.
Rory From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Bill Prince Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 7:46 PM To: af@afmug.com Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Did I miss Chucks opinion on Ubnt SunMax The "best" battery may be somewhat subjective. I like the Tesla option, but it's not shipping yet. It would not work with the UBNT setup, as the battery uses 400+ volts; so it's more of the DC-to-inverter style of system. I think I prefer the big DC systems, as it allows the use of much smaller gauge wires going from the the array to the inverter. I also prefer the higher voltages that are common in Europe now (1000 volts). Most areas in the US are 600 volts maximum (there are very few exceptions now). Going from 600 VDC to 1000 VDC can reduce the overall cost of the system by almost 50%. bp <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com> On 10/14/2015 7:05 PM, Sterling Jacobson wrote: What’s the best battery system currently? I remember buying a bunch of large batteries for our sites and wiring them in 48 volt to the inverter. Is there a better method than that for storing solar power from the array and using it at the house on inverter? Ideally it would be an inverter that took as much power from the solar as possible to power the house, then leaned on mains if it wasn’t enough. Is there even an inverter that intelligent for homes yet? Or are we just stuck with on/off use of the solar/batteries? From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Chuck McCown Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 7:46 PM To: af@afmug.com<mailto:af@afmug.com> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Did I miss Chucks opinion on Ubnt SunMax $1 per watt for DIY systems. That is without battery. A full battery system is going to cost you 3 times that or more. From: Sterling Jacobson<mailto:sterl...@avative.net> Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 7:37 PM To: af@afmug.com<mailto:af@afmug.com> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Did I miss Chucks opinion on Ubnt SunMax Yeah, they said $1.50 a watt purchased, but do it yourself installed. I guess it’s nice having it converted on panel to AC. But what’s this price vs. buying panels yourself and running DC to a battery bank? I want both. I want the panels and the battery with a decent inverter. I don’t care so much about selling back to the grid. From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Mathew Howard Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 7:27 PM To: af <af@afmug.com<mailto:af@afmug.com>> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Did I miss Chucks opinion on Ubnt SunMax I think they mentioned something about under $1.50/watt,.. or something like that, but I have no idea if that's anywhere near what the real price will be. It looked to me like they're trying for simplicity more than cheap. On Wed, Oct 14, 2015 at 8:15 PM, Chuck McCown <ch...@wbmfg.com<mailto:ch...@wbmfg.com>> wrote: $/watt is the only thing that matters to me. Pricing was not discussed. Mounting looks good. Normally integrated inverters and not the most cost effective method. Like to know the pricing. Also, you have to submit schematics and all kinds of other things to the local building inspection authority here to do a grid tie system. Not sure this would fly. Did not see all the labels and disconnects that are required here. From: Craig Schmaderer<mailto:cr...@skywaveconnect.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 5:25 PM To: af@afmug.com<mailto:af@afmug.com> Subject: [AFMUG] Did I miss Chucks opinion on Ubnt SunMax Not sure when they released this, but I just saw this on their website. https://www.ubnt.com/sunmax/
