Tag Archives: solar batteries

The Electriq Power PowerPod home battery complete review

Electriq Power is a San Leandro, California-based energy storage company that designs and engineers its storage systems in the United States. Electriq’s flagship product, the PowerPod, includes a battery, hybrid battery/solar inverter, home energy management system, and an energy meter. In addition to offering backup power, the PowerPod System includes a smart home energy software, known as Electriq View, to manage your home’s electricity use and optimize energy efficiency. 

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Saltwater batteries: what you need to know

Lithium-ion batteries dominate the energy storage market with their proven technology and continuously falling costs. Lithium-ion isn’t the only storage technology available, however: saltwater batteries are another option that has been around in some form for years now, and have the potential to impact the energy storage landscape in a big way in the coming years.

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Charging your Tesla: how many solar panels does it take and how much does it cost?

Following the news of Tesla’s acquisition of U.S. solar installer giant SolarCity, the world has been keeping a close eye on Elon Musk and his two prosperous clean energy ventures. Tesla and SolarCity, electric cars and solar panels – a two-front war waged against grid reliance and energy dependence. In 2019, Musk-owned companies are  both expanding and constricting as two of the tech entrepreneur’s five companies are joining forces around one common goal: eliminating your carbon footprint.

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Tesla Powerwall 2: an upgraded battery for your home

Tesla brought solar batteries to the forefront of home energy technology with the launch of the Powerwall in 2015. A year later, Elon Musk announced the new and improved Tesla Powerwall 2, an industry-leading product that takes solar-plus-storage to the next level. The Powerwall 2 offers a few much-needed improvements over the original Powerwall product, including a larger storage capacity, a lower per-kilowatt hour cost, and a built-in inverter.

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Pika Energy Harbor Smart Battery system: the complete review

Pika Energy is the U.S.-based manufacturer of the Pika Energy Island™ home energy management system. This includes powerful smart batteries, islanding inverters and solar optimizers in one. Notably, Pika Energy partners with Panasonic to produce the Harbor™ smart lithium-ion battery. The Harbor™ is designed to provide extended backup power and maximize your on-site solar energy use.

But how does Harbor Smart Battery measure up against all the other home energy storage options? Read on to learn more about the Pika Energy Harbor Smart Battery’s cost, technology, and warranty coverage.

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Electriq Power Q&A

Installations of energy storage systems are skyrocketing throughout the country over the last couple of years. In fact, residential installs increased 500 percent from 2017 to 2018! A number of different companies are introducing batteries to help meet this increased demand, creating a crowded field of products to choose from.

In order to help you sift through the numerous options, EnergySage is interviewing storage manufacturers to learn more about their product offerings and company. Recently, we sat down with Electriq Power to discuss the history of the company, what differentiates their primary product for homeowners (the PowerPod), and where they see the energy storage industry evolving in the coming years. 

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Comparing lithium-ion battery chemistries

Lithium-ion batteries are the most popular products used for solar electricity storage today. Within the umbrella category of lithium-ion batteries, there are several specific chemistries that battery manufacturers employ in their products. These chemistries each have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as ideal use cases.

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