Homemade Tesla Powerwalls...

[BlueStringPudding]

Making one's own Tesla Powerwall is a thing apparently. Wonder if they last longer than any laptop battery I've ever had (which isn't very long!)

http://www.greenmatters.com/living/2017/08/24/1OCyql/people-are-building-their-own-tesla-powerwalls-out-of-laptop-batteries?utm_source=keywee&utm_medium=facebook&kwp_0=508445&kwp_4=1828159&kwp_1=776768

[DHutch]

The amount of batteries we throw away is criminal. Laptops batteries don't last for every but if you had a reasonable way to sort 'still reasonably all right' from 'totally trashed' and join them cheaply then why not.

My laptop if 5-6 years old and still manages maybe 3/4 of its run tim on batteries, I bought it 3-4 years ago ex-industry of ebay and only used it intermittently but in the grand scheme it old for what it is and im sure half its peers are now long gone.

None of the other tech in the powerwall is as far as im aware either new or revolutionary. The only other question then is what do you use your bootleg powerwall for. 

 

Daniel 

[MtB]

Point of order... they are not "Tesla Powerwalls". Those are only made by the firm called Tesla. 

[Robbo]

I’ve never understood the concept of a powerwall for the end consumer in a country where we have a stable power supply!  Lithium is also the worst battery technology for this type of device as well!  No comment on the DIY concept, but it’s prob not wise.

[Robbo]

Just seen this in teslas  FAQ’s

During a utility power outage, can I run my home on solar and Powerwall?
Due to safety regulations your solar and Powerwall will not operate during a power outage.

So what is the actual point of these devices!

[MHS]

22 minutes ago, Robbo said:

Just seen this in teslas  FAQ’s

 

 

So what is the actual point of these devices!

To store solar energy for use in your home overnight. 

[Robbo]

5 minutes ago, MHS said:

To store solar energy for use in your home overnight. 

Would make sense if you were off grid, but not if on grid!  Unless the electric prices shoot up or these drop in prices significantly I doubt that you will get your money back from the lifetime if one of these.

[Tony Brooks]

I think that I would prefer some proper lead acid 2V deep cycle cells in the garage. If the system is specified properly that should last 15 years or more with just an occasional top up and they do not apparently spontaneously combust unless you ignore the very clear early warning signs - even then its more of a bang than a fire.

[Robbo]

I think these are been sold to the snobby environmentlist that has more money than sense.  Apart from solar and lithium isn’t that particularly green compared with what we could be getting from on-grid power if we built enough nuclear plants to cover our needs!

[Peter-Bullfinch]

We have solar panels on our roof at home. In the garage there are three lead acid batteries, an inverter, battery charger, timer and a changeover switch. The charger comes on for a few hours mid day and the batteries run all the house light circuits. Works really well for the past three years.

All this kit was donated by boating and electrician friends.  It's not cost effective if you had to buy it all new but it's fun to own and a bit of a talking point.

All our house lights are led and when we have guest staying over winter and every light gets left on the inverter sets up a shrill buzz and so go round and have to turn a few lights off.

[Robbo]

44 minutes ago, Peter-Bullfinch said:

All our house lights are led and when we have guest staying over winter and every light gets left on the inverter sets up a shrill buzz and so go round and have to turn a few lights off.

This is kinda of the point why the concept won’t work.  You still need the electricity grid that can supply all the householders needs during winter when these devices aren’t been charged up by solar!

[David Mack]

6 minutes ago, Robbo said:

This is kinda of the point why the concept won’t work.  You still need the electricity grid that can supply all the householders needs during winter when these devices aren’t been charged up by solar!

But if everyone had one of these it would allow the suppliers to make short power outages at peak times (TV add breaks etc) So the generating and distribution systems don't  need to be sized for short duration demand peaks.

[Robbo]

21 minutes ago, David Mack said:

But if everyone had one of these it would allow the suppliers to make short power outages at peak times (TV add breaks etc) So the generating and distribution systems don't  need to be sized for short duration demand peaks.

We already have storage grid solution for peaks, and that is hydro electric stations (usually in Scotland).   A good majority of people would need one of these for a country wide solution if we didn’t have grid peak storage availablity, are we now putting the ownership on the end user to supply their peak demand as we will be getting flakey grid power supply?  If the electric companies supplied these do you think it would be cost effective for them to have a individual household storage unit that needs replacing and maintaining every so often or a more central method! 

Edited August 31, 2017 by Robbo

[Machpoint005]

1 minute ago, Robbo said:

are we now putting the ownership on the end user to supply their peak demand

Perhaps we only have a national grid because it suits the big energy companies to hold all the cards, for the sake of their profits.

I wonder why community CHP schemes are so rare?

[Robbo]

Just now, Machpoint005 said:

Perhaps we only have a national grid because it suits the big energy companies to hold all the cards, for the sake of their profits.

I wonder why community CHP schemes are so rare?

Not really.  It’s costs a lot of money to go off-grid successfully, and the overall price per kWh is higher than you would get from the suppliers.

[Machpoint005]

3 minutes ago, Robbo said:

It costs a lot of money to go off-grid successfully, and the overall price per kWh is higher than you would get from the suppliers.

No doubt, but what about the "H" part of CHP, in a community built with this technology in mind? What about all that energy we buy that is lost in long-distance transmission?

[tree monkey]

46 minutes ago, Robbo said:

This is kinda of the point why the concept won’t work.  You still need the electricity grid that can supply all the householders needs during winter when these devices aren’t been charged up by solar!

I thought the idea of these units was part of a grid connected system,  so they would be recharged by any excess in the system,  so primarily by your own solar in the summer and grid connect wind/solar in the winter, thus smoothing out the peaks and troughs

[Robbo]

9 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

I thought the idea of these units was part of a grid connected system,  so they would be recharged by any excess in the system,  so primarily by your own solar in the summer and grid connect wind/solar in the winter, thus smoothing out the peaks and troughs

But to be successful everyone would need one, and that’s not going to happen unless the electricity companies provided one which won’t be cost effective for them over a more central (even if local based) solution.

20 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

No doubt, but what about the "H" part of CHP, in a community built with this technology in mind? What about all that energy we buy that is lost in long-distance transmission?

How are these CHP generators fuelled tho!

[Machpoint005]

Diesel, gas, biogas, wood chippings, etc are all possibilities.

[Robbo]

9 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

Diesel, gas, biogas, wood chippings, etc are all possibilities.

So not the greenest of solutions!

[Tony Brooks]

2 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

Diesel, gas, biogas, wood chippings, etc are all possibilities.

In the case of Russell Newbury used engine oil. Not sure they sold many/any.