After I posted Wind, Sun and (brain) Drain, I got some interesting questions about it. In response to those, I’ve written this followup piece about the same topic.

In that earlier post, I used the example of Tesla because its a well understood instance of using batteries to deliver useful results. Tesla, via SolarCity, have indicated an intention to move into the stationary battery market over time. However the Tesla batteries aren’t the only (or arguably even the best) choice for stationary energy applications.

An example of an excellent choice (in my view) for stationary energy storage and delivery applications (backing up renewables, time-shifting energy draw to optimise tariffs, remote area power systems, etc) is the Redflow ZBM. The ZBM is a battery made by Redflow (ASX:RFX) that I believe to be so good for these applications that I‘ve invested in the company.

I have a battery-backed solar array in my own home already – and have had it there since 2010. Hence my interest in (and experience with) the combination of batteries-and-renewables is more than theoretical.

That home system is grid-interconnected (with automatic islanding if the grid power fails). It has more than enough capacity to run the house entirely standalone.  I remain grid connected at home in order to send my surplus energy generation back into the grid. However, when the grid power fails, my house is where the party (still) is 🙂

That setup was quite expensive back when I put it in, because the solar panels were still far more expensive then, as (at the time) were the batteries. The prices are all tumbling down over time now, that being ‘the point”. The more that this overall pricing improves, the more these systems become viable replacements for fossil fuel energy systems in a variety of applications.