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Is this more of a battery cost issue - if you owned a battery that charged off the grid and discharged during blackout periods then that might just about cover

Is this more of a battery cost issue - if you owned a battery that charged off the grid and discharged during blackout periods then that might just about cover you if you budget for the expected outage duration.... And assuming you can afford said battery in the first place.

ema 1y ago
Depends on the length of the blackouts, if it's more than a day then solar panels will allow you to lower the amount of batteries you get.
pyrale 1y ago
> if you owned a battery that charged off the grid and discharged during blackout periods This wouldn't work. The reason isolated units can inject electricity back into the grid without issue is that they can observe frequency. If a blackout occurs, this information is gone. You need to perform a black start, which can't be done by isolated, uncoordinated equipments.
- magicalhippo 1y ago
  Pretty sure GP was talking about a UPS, not feeding the grid.
- 1dom 1y ago
  I don't think that applies for microgrids, or at least, it's not really an issue in my case. I know what you're talking about though: I think that more applies to generators that are operating with megawatts and take time for turbines to spin up and stuff. Microgrids are normally instantaneous battery buffered type things. They can instantly deliver power at the frequency range mandated for the national grid.
- philjohn 1y ago
  What you actually need is islanding equipment which discharges the battery for local use only, but cuts off (or islands you from) your main incoming power connection. Many of the PV systems you can buy from the big players (SolarEdge, Tesla and more) support this, often calling it "whole home backup". Same principle as having a generator with an interlock.
mattmaroon 1y ago
The problem is the blackouts can go for lengths of time that would require impractically large battery installs. You can powerwall your way around a grid that frequently goes down for a few hours to a day, but one that may go down for days to months you are practically forced into some form of generation (solar or otherwise). Batteries keep getting cheaper but are unlikely to get to where it’s more affordable to store a month’s worth of electricity than just buying some generation.

ema 1y ago

Depends on the length of the blackouts, if it's more than a day then solar panels will allow you to lower the amount of batteries you get.

pyrale 1y ago

> if you owned a battery that charged off the grid and discharged during blackout periods This wouldn't work. The reason isolated units can inject electricity back into the grid without issue is that they can observe frequency. If a blackout occurs, this information is gone. You need to perform a black start, which can't be done by isolated, uncoordinated equipments.

magicalhippo 1y ago
Pretty sure GP was talking about a UPS, not feeding the grid.
1dom 1y ago
I don't think that applies for microgrids, or at least, it's not really an issue in my case. I know what you're talking about though: I think that more applies to generators that are operating with megawatts and take time for turbines to spin up and stuff. Microgrids are normally instantaneous battery buffered type things. They can instantly deliver power at the frequency range mandated for the national grid.
philjohn 1y ago
What you actually need is islanding equipment which discharges the battery for local use only, but cuts off (or islands you from) your main incoming power connection. Many of the PV systems you can buy from the big players (SolarEdge, Tesla and more) support this, often calling it "whole home backup". Same principle as having a generator with an interlock.

mattmaroon 1y ago

The problem is the blackouts can go for lengths of time that would require impractically large battery installs. You can powerwall your way around a grid that frequently goes down for a few hours to a day, but one that may go down for days to months you are practically forced into some form of generation (solar or otherwise). Batteries keep getting cheaper but are unlikely to get to where it’s more affordable to store a month’s worth of electricity than just buying some generation.