A lot happened since then in the Energy Storage field worldwide and it is great to see that more and more people are considering installing this at home
For more details check out my website dedicated to the built of my DIY ESS on http://www.diyesskit.com
Yesterday I went to a huge international show called Batimat - IdeoBain - InterClimat+Elec close to Paris to see Twido, an innovative product from 2&Go, a French company I have been following for 6 months now
Olivier Cocheteux, Founder & CEO
Their idea is simple: Lower your the Energy used for producing hot water at home
Why: Because regular Electric Water Heaters / Boilers are just not that efficient
These water heaters have been around for several decades and have not (or slightly) been improved ever since: They always heat up the full volume of water 200-300 liters of water, past 60°C to kill bacteria, whatever volume of hot water is actually used; The hot water that is not used slowly lowers in temperature, which is a waste of energy. The average static heat loss is 1.5 to 3 kWh every day, depending on the volume of the tank, even more if it is not a tempered room - witch is my case -
A New Idea : Heat up only the volume of water that will be used, not the rest !
How ? : In smaller tanks connected in series and heated or not depending on your needs ...
Like a Nest Thermostat in a way, it learns your habits from your Real Hot Water Consumption, and heats up the right amount of water throughout the week
WiFi Connected, you are in Control : The online Portal myTwido.com lets you follow the Energy dedicated to hot water, see the Temperature of each individual tank in real time, program manually the amount of water for the desired day/hour, and you can decide to heat up more water if some family or friends show up in the last minute to spend the night let's say (Boost Mode)
Design: Their slim design allows space saving, and now your water heater can even be decorative :)
Sturdy & Long lasting Design:
- Heavy duty frame/chassis
- Scalable: Tanks come in different sizes and you can get a 3 to 4-tank system, with 120 to 320 liters
- Stainless Steel Tanks : No Galvanic Corrosion (there is only water in a tank), No Limestone Deposit because heating is performed on the outside of the tank, no inside like it is done with regular water heaters' immersed heating elements, they come with a15 years warranty (tanks should last 30-40 years !, instead of 5 years on average)
But wait, there's more :)
Twido in its latest version becomes Solar !
The external heating pads of each tank can be powered from Solar Panels at low voltage under 50V - 1 panel or several wired in parallel - through regular MC4 connectors, and of course 230V AC like on the regular version (2 resistive wires in the same heating pad)
The more Solar you get through your panels, the more free hot water you get ...
After several years of using the Wattson Energy Monitor and the real time & daily graphs on the Energy Hive portal, I can see that my water heater is the most energy consuming appliance at home, by far Water heater Power used is 1500W during 4 or 5 hours at night
So a switch to their innovative technology would improve even more the overall modifications I made at home for the last 10 years:
- LED lights
- Heat Pump
- Electric Car & Scooter
- Solar Panels
- Energy Storage System
It's just the next step for me
Also I have to relocate my regular water heater downstairs (in 2008 it has been put in the building attic by mistake by my contractor too early because we were about to buy this extra space, and ended up not doing so and buying the apartment underneath instead), and the only spot I found in the upstairs kids bathroom is where the towel dryer is ... There is absolutely no room for a huge round water heater, and Twido's depth is only 25cm with a width of 86cm, just Perfect !
Elon Musk was invited yesterday by the German Minister of Economy & Energy, right after VW Gate ...
- "What will you say to your kids or grand kids ?" ... they will say: "Nobody told you ?" ... :(
- Germany is a huge leader for Solar Power Generation, but not for Sustainable Power Consumption
- Put a Price on CO2 & Incentives for Renewables won't be necessary
- Sun => 1GW/km2 & Solar Panels => 200 MW/km2, so, combined with Energy Storage, the Power is here to supply heating, transportation, etc, and replace fossil fuels completely , no problem :)
- Tesla Model III : Elon says it will come out ASAP: they will build GigaFactory & Assembly at the same time, expect 2 to 2.5 years
- Says Airbus and its Electric Plane is a great move for them
BMW i Wallbox Pure (left) and BMW i Wallbox Pro (right)
BMW expanded its Wallbox portfolio from just the base Pure model to the new Pro model, which is available in Europe and soon will be available worldwide as an Original BMW i Accessory.
Both units look similar, but Pro has higher power output (7.4 kW) than Pure. There is a lot of new features because Pro is smart, with optimization of the home-generated electricity usage and general integration.
BMW i3 and wallbox
The striking difference is the 7-inch color touchscreen display, which enables one to see all the data, including charging history, charging power, etc.
Here is the full description of the BMW i Wallbox Pro:
"The BMW i Wallbox Pro is operated using a 7-inch colour touchscreen display, which offers optimised control and monitoring of the charging process and allows users to choose their own individual settings. The screen can show how much charge has been delivered to the vehicle so far, along with details of previous charging cycles. LED fibre-optic strips at the sides of the wallbox indicate the current charge status and are visible from a considerable distance. Information about the charging status can also be remotely accessed from a smartphone or tablet by using the BMW i Wallbox Remote app. The BMW i Wallbox Pro provides an administrator function that can keep a charging history for different users. Up to three user profiles can be set up, e.g. for accounting or billing purposes. For example, private and business-related electricity use can be recorded separately. Details of electricity consumption for a particular user account can also be forwarded by email if desired. A proximity sensor activates the BMW i Wallbox Pro when motion is detected. The charging plug can be picked up and connected to the vehicle socket using just one hand. Further user-friendly features include the 3.5-metre charging cable. The cable's entry point towards the top of the wallbox protects it from contamination and makes it unnecessary to coil the cable. The BMW i Wallbox Pro's integrated load management system delivers the maximum available current when charging. At the same time, overloading is prevented by reducing the charging rate as necessary during peaks in household power consumption. A clear readout on the touchscreen shows how much power is being drawn from the household electrical system at any given time. Assisted by its intelligent charging functions and the optional energy meter, the BMW i Wallbox Pro is unique among home charging stations in the extent to which home-generated electricity can be integrated in the charging process – for example electricity from a home solar system. This option is used whenever possible. The intelligently integrated wallbox detects the availability of solar power and immediately uses it for charging. If no home-generated energy is available, power from the grid is used instead. If the BMW i Wallbox Pro is integrated with a smart home system, the efficient charging functionality can be extended even further to reduce peak loads on the household electrical system and optimise the use of home-generated electricity. Via the touchscreen it is possible, for example, to connect the wallbox to the smart home system myGEKKO. Up to eight smart home functions can then be controlled from the wallbox display, including activation of outdoor lighting. It is also possible to display a weather report on the touchscreen, showing current temperatures, daily maximum and minimum temperatures, frost warnings and forecasts for the coming days."
One of the last important DIY ESS kit #2 component arrived last night from the UK : the Electronize ESC or Electronic Speed Contoller .... A key component actually !
Almost ready to start shipping this DIY ESS kit #2 :-)
Béatrice is already using the packaging foam to feed her babies :-) good British chips
Bad News: my Vectrix has a flat rear tire :-( I will have to go change both tires tomorrow because they were getting too old and used up anyways
Good News: my e-Solex is back in service :-) after charging up its LiPobattery last night as I kept it half charged in storage (that is recommended), and I used it on my way to work this morning after more than a year of sleeping in the parking; Everything was fine, and it is sometimes nice to go slow (max speed of 30 km/h), enjoying the woods and beautifull cities I go accross: Bois de Boulogne, Neuilly, Levallois, Clichy
Organised by Messe Stuttgart, 2012 will be the first edition of this annual event which aims to respond to the need for those who are involved in the manufacturing of battery and energy storage systems to have their own platform.
This will be the place where all relevant areas, from raw materials to complete battery systems for mobile or stationary use will be addressed.
Stuttgart, Germany
8-10 October 2012
AVERE has decided to partner with this event because it answers to a real need of an area of the industry which plays a crucial role for the development of the performance of Electric Vehicles.
With the aim of becoming the leading European trade fair in the energy storage technology industry, Battery+Storage is directed at all players involved in the manufacture of battery and energy storage devices.
All areas are addressed from the raw materials to the completed battery system for mobile and stationary use.
The trade fair appeals to international visitors from the storageproduction industry, service providers and researchers, as well as representatives from key user industries such as electric mobility, energy supply and electrical industry. In the end a suitable storage solution should be found for each individual application.
Great ! I asked Mark Eliott from Energeno (formerly Diy Kyoto) if I could test their new version of Wattson (the Energy Monitor).
He replied that they were working on a WiFi version of it and few weeks after I received a package from the UK :-)
In fact the first step is to test this little device (Australian device called ISU, from SAM) that gathers the RF transmissions from the original Wattson transmittor and sends them directly to a data center for live online access of the readings.
A red LED is flashing on the right side of this device every time the transmittor sends a reading and at the same time as Wattson updates its display
Later on this functionality will be integrated into Wattson PCB directly I guess
They opened a account for me on their Wattson Professional website, and my readings data is displayed there in live graphs :-)
I can see my usage, generation (from my ESS for now, later on from my Solar System too), and the net reading (= usage - generation)
Here are more detailed views of the Wattson Professional web interface showing my first two days of trial:
The page view of the portal is an overview of 5 independant views:
- Daily usage & generation
- Daily Revenue/bill
- Weather forecast
- Used Energy Breakdown
- Generated Energy Breakdown
NB :More pages/views also exist and I will talk about them later on ...
Here is my overview of my first full day: August 28th
If I zoom on the 1st graph, I get a much more detailed view:
In red is the Usage, mostly covered by the green, the Grid Generation, most of the time in my case
When I turn on my ESS, then we see a blue line showing the Solar(or Wind, etc) Generation; at that time the Grid Generation is lowered by the same amount and the green line dicreases : I buy less power from the utility company (EDF)
Now in the lower part of the portal, we have the:
- Used Energy Breakdown: it is showing the part of enegry imported from the Grid and the part that was generated in house by the solar or wind system (in my case it is from my LiFePO4 ESS for now, my solar system coming in few weeks)
- and the Generated Energy Breakdown: this one shows how much energy from Generation (Solar, Wind, etc) went into feeding your own usage (Used in House) or back into the utility grid (Exported)
Here, same thing for next day, August 29th:
Let's analyse this day in details (I was not home):
- The big usage at night is the water heater (2,000W) finishing its lower rate (22:24 to 06:24) heating at night
- After that the only thing showing is the fridge coming on and off in cycles (waves)
- Around 9 we see the breakfasst activity: toaster, Nespresso coffee machine, lights
- Around noon, lunch activity: stove, micro-wave oven
- After that, the two spikes must be the washing machine (laundry)
- Then around 15, back to fridge only cycles
- Until I came back home around 19:30 and started my ESS: we start to see some Generation (blue line) until 22:10
- After that, at 22:24 the water heater come back on automatically, and the additionnal spikes are the dishwasher running at night too (it is quiet)
- Nissan to launch LEAF to Home power system at its dealerships in Japan in mid-June
- Nissan and Nichicon collaborate to achieve the world's first power supply system that provides electricity from the Nissan LEAF's high-capacity batteries to houses
Nissan announced "LEAF to Home" power supply system, which can supply electricity from batteries onboard in Nissan LEAF electric vehicles (EV) to homes when used with the "EV Power Station" unit developed by Nichicon Corporation. "LEAF to Home" is an industry first backup power supply system that can transmit the electricity stored in the large-capacity batteries of Nissan LEAFs to a residential home. Nissan will showcase this system at its Japanese dealership showrooms beginning in June to help promote efficient electricity management and demonstrate the features built into electric vehicles.
This equipement is using the CHAdeMO protocol / standard
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. will launch the "LEAF to Home" power supply system at its dealerships in Japan in mid-June 2012. The V2H system (Vehicle to Home) can supply electricity from batteries onboard in Nissan LEAF electric vehicles (EV) to homes when used with the "EV Power Station" unit developed by Nichicon Corporation.
"LEAF to Home" is an industry-first backup power supply system that can transmit the electricity stored in the large-capacity batteries of Nissan LEAFs to a residential home. Nissan will showcase this system at its Japanese dealership showrooms beginning in June to help promote efficient electricity management and demonstrate the features built into electric vehicles.
Nichicon, an innovator in power supply systems, will provide the technology to move the electricity from vehicle to home through its "EV Power Station" units. This power transfer system enables electricity stored in high-capacity lithium-ion batteries onboard a Nissan LEAF to be sent to an ordinary home by connecting the car to the home's electricity distribution panel with a connector linked to the LEAF's quick charging port.
The EV Power Station system is similar in size to an external air-conditioning unit, can be installed outdoors, and conforms to the CHAdeMO protocol for EV quick chargers. CHAdeMO is an abbreviation of "Charge de Move" ("charge for moving") and is the trade name for a quick-charging method used to charge the batteries of electric vehicles. The Nichicon system's connector complies with the JEVS G 105 standard defined by the Japan Automotive Research Institute (JARI). This system can run on various operating modes and has a timer function which can be controlled with a liquid crystal display (LCD) touch panel. Electricity is stored or supplied automatically in accordance with a household's electricity capacity and consumption.
The EV Power Station can fully charge a LEAF in as little as four hours, which is approximately half the time required when a normal charger is used. All current Nissan LEAF owners in Japan will be able to use the system, depending on their home's installation requirements. With Japanese government subsidies taken into account, the EV Power Station is estimated to cost 330,000 yen ($4200), which amount includes 10% consumption tax and installation charge.
Detailed specifications of the system:
Official video:
This system helps to balance the electrical supply system, and can even lower a consumer's electricity bill. The LEAF to Home system will help encourage Nissan LEAF owners to charge their cars with electricity generated during the night, when demand is low, or sourced from solar panels. This assist in balancing energy needs by supplying electricity to the grid during daytime, when demand is highest. It can also be used as back-up power source in case of power outages and/or shortages.
The lithium-ion batteries can store up to 24kWh of electricity, which is sufficient to supply an average Japanese household for about two days. This system underscores an additional attribute of EVs: vehicles which can be used as a storage battery whether they are moving or stationary.
The LEAF 24kWh battery pack could, through the LEAF to Home PCS / EV Power Station, supply all the necessary power used by a regular house, that is 6 kW.
This supply could come on to fill the power gap between the house solar system and the power usage, or in the evening and at tnight when the sun doesn't shine anymore
Using the Peak Offset Function, an average home in Japan could save money and releave the grid during power consumption peak at noon, by using the LEAF as a power supply during this period, charging at night at low power demand and low cost :
Power Control System (PCS)
- Rating: 6kW
- Control system: Sinusoidal PWM System
- System power: 200V single-phase three-wire system
Operation display panel
- Display for switching electricity charge between supply
- Battery power, output voltage and output current display
Nissan LEAF connection specification
- Quick charge connector (CHAdeMo specification)
Nissan LEAF
- Corresponds to the electricity supply program
A video on several subjects:
- Wattson Energy Meter (here I replace the transmitor batteries because they are weak)
- LiFePO4 Energy Storage System: Discharging and the effect visible on Wattson
- Amateur Solar Generation & Storage
- Batteries & iPhone / iPod / iPad charging with this Solar Generation (special charger)
I promise I will do a video on this WATTSON Energy Meter only, explaining the basics:
- How to install
- How to use
- How to transfer data to a Mac or PC (not mandatory but interesting to make graphs on usage & generation)
To me it is the best energy meter on the market right now: Design, Simplicity, Easy Reading, Tracks Energy Generation
In this video shot last week, I show you the automatic cut off of my LiFePO4 Battery Bank / Energy Storage System: At the end of the discharge cycle, reaching 48V, one of the two relays of the programmable dual relay voltmeter will open, which will in turn open the Tyco Kilovac contactor, cutting power to the Grid Tie Inverter and thus stopping the power being fed back into my home grid.
My system is now almost fully atomated...
Carlos Ghosn @ Nissan battery plant in Zama, Japan :
- They are the biggest producer of batteries
- Zero problem with customers about battery since the beginning of production
- The best level of quality and reliability
- They are trying to reduce the cost of batteries (the main part of the cost in an EV)
- Sumitomo joint venture and the use of batteries even after the car life is over (Secondary usage as Storage for wind and solar energy)
This is what I read on my Wattson energy meter when my battery bank is providing more energy than the appartement is using : A NEGATIVE FIGURE :-)
The downside is that this surplus is "wasted" because given out for free to the grid
Water heater Power used is 1500W during 4 or 5 hours at night
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