#Industry News
HOME ENERGY STORAGE HITS ITS STRIDE
SimpliPhi Power and Orison Seek to Emulate Tesla's Powerwall
The home energy storage market received a massive boost earlier this year when Tesla unveiled its Powerwall system that offered lithium-ion based storage in a 7 kWh and 10 kWh unit. Suddenly, the world’s media was rushing to talk about the benefits of home storage and the importance of finding a reliable way to store renewable energy off peak. Since then other companies have launched their own home energy storage battery, notably Orison and SimpliPhi Power. Orison, is a small plug-in option that unlike either the Powerwall or SimpliPhi systems doesn’t require permits or extensive installation.
SimpliPhi Power has unveiled its lightweight battery system aimed at homes and small businesses. It is a lithium-ion based battery that incorporates the relatively recent battery chemistry, lithium iron phosphate which is non-toxic and far less prone to overheating than lithium cobalt batteries. The other key difference between the two types of lithium battery is that lithium cobalt oxide stores can store twice as much energy as lithium iron phosphate, which isn’t necessarily a problem if volume is not an issue.
The Orison systems are expected to retail at USD$1,600 (€1,400) for two kilowatt hours of backup power (the typical American home consumes around 30 kilowatt hours of electricity per day). They come in two stylishly attractive versions, one a wall mounted rectangle and the other like an inverted lava lamp that also features a Bluetooth speaker and induction phone charger.
