The future of energy
It almost goes without saying that we need to cut down on our reliance on fossil fuels and keep seeking efficient renewable alternatives. There’s been a lot of progression in this area and it now looks like there’s a cleaner more environmentally friendly future as oil, gas and coal are phased out. How It Works is very excited to see what innovative systems are in store for energy generation for 2017 and beyond. Here’s three types of renewable energy we’ve picked out from the rest.
Powerwall 2
An update of the original Powerwall, Tesla’s rechargeable lithium-ion home battery is installed on the wall of a house. When the Sun is shining, the Powerwall 2 will charge up and when day turns to night it will discharge, providing power to the home. The device is designed to increase the functionality of solar energy generation by storing up energy and releasing it only when needed. The Powerwall 2 will work in unison with Tesla’s Solar Roof, storing any extra energy that is created. It will act as a backup generator to the cells and will kick into gear if the tiles experience any power outages in extreme weather.
Elon Musk has predicted that the Powerwall 2 and Solar Roof will outsell Tesla’s vehicle range after its release in 2017.
The SolPad
A type of solar power for the home, it uses new technology to give you, the homeowner, complete control over your energy usage. By storing solar energy, the SolPad will allow you to use it whenever you want, reducing your electricity bill in the process. Each SolPad is equipped with its own “solar micro-storage,” or built-in battery storage at the panel level. Due to this integration and elimination of parts, SolPad’s fully integrated product design approach reduces the total cost of installed solar and energy storage by up to 50 per cent. Each device is its own energy powerhouse that is completely self-sufficient, allowing users to start with one SolPad and easily add as necessary. SolPad’s patented FlexGrid inverter is a bi-directional power-conversion technology that also detects when there’s a power outage, providing safe off-grid power in case of an emergency.
Each SolPad is like a smart-energy computer on your roof,
xStorage
Nissan are well known for their prowess in car manufacturing but what about energy generation? Released in September 2016, the xStorage gives homeowners more control of how power is used in their homes. In a similar way to the SolPad, this device harnesses solar technology during the day and releases it at night when the family is back from work and school light and heat are needed most. As an incentive to xStorage users, they will be rewarded financially by Nissan if they avoid daytime energy usage. Perhaps the best feature of all is the ability for the customer to sell any excess energy they have back to the grid when demand is high. A money maker and an environment saver? What’s not to like!
Nissan’s xStorage system will help give homeowners more input in helping to save electricity
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