There’s movement in the solar battery space, as Anker looks set to bring its tech to another category and give battery buyers someone else to consider.
With energy costs rising, looking into solar is now one of the more useful ways home owners can try to combat the bill burn going on. All across Australia, electricity prices are getting more frustrating to deal with, an irritation that you can’t escape from given how energy dependent everything in our life is.
It’s bad enough that buying an air conditioner is complicated enough, but running it means needing plenty of electricity, and it’s not the only thing in your life like it. Everything needs electricity and these days, that’s a bill burden that seems to only be getting worse.
Solar panels can help ease some of that burden if you can install them, but going without a battery means you’re only using solar when the sun is out and selling what you don’t need back to the grid. And take it from someone who does that: selling solar back to your energy company will only ease your energy bills so much. Or in other words, not much at all.
One of the more logical solutions is to install a battery and let your solar energy be used beyond when the sun is out.
While it’s clearly the most costly part of a solar package, and therefore more difficult to justify for home owners, adding a battery to a solar panel system can not only provide a way to extend the solar storage so that it’s useful at night, but so that you’re less dependent on the energy company. Less dependency should mean a lower energy bill from the energy company, and with prices going up, that’s something to think about.
Unfortunately, battery costs aren’t friendly and battery selection doesn’t seem to always be an amazing thing. If you’re not particularly happy with some brands, you may find the choices of home energy storage aren’t always appealing, particularly given the occasional recall.
There may be some news on the horizon, though, especially for folks looking for home energy storage.
A brand that has been challenging in quite a few categories, notably in sound and projectors, has been pushing more into the home energy space.
We’ve seen a lot from Anker over the past few years since it arrived in Australia, and recently the brand has been playing more in home security and even portable power, building gadgets made to deliver power when you’re out and about.
That’s important for campers, but folks at home need power solutions, too, and so the company has this week decided to launch its Solix X1 energy storage for homes in Australia, too.
The system is made up of several components, and includes batteries ranging from 5kWh to 30kWh, with big things designed to attach to the side of the house weighing as little as 72kg and as much as 272kg. You’re not going to be lugging these around, as these are made to stay at home.
Despite this, the Solix X1 is design to be slim and minimalist, offering a flexible battery system that can see up to six battery systems paired together for larger requirements, and able to work from more of that harnessed solar energy.
Like many other systems, there’s resistance to the outdoor elements with an IP65 rating and able to work in temperatures as high as 55ºC and as low as below 20, and there’s also a quick transition on mode that can switch to an off-grid mode in power blackouts reportedly in less than 15 milliseconds.
Anker also provides some artificial intelligence for the system, an “AI Forecast” feature that can switch on the power backup ahead of a storm and trade power when the system knows peak prices are in place.
“With rising energy costs, increasing concerns about power supply reliability, and a growing desire for sustainable solutions, consumers are now pivoting to solar energy to power their homes,” said Gaspar Xie, General Manager for Anker Innovations in Australia and New Zealand.
“We are committed to supporting them to do just that, whilst simultaneously helping Australia reach its broader net-zero goal,” he said. “Through the introduction of Anker Solix X1, we’re leveraging our deep expertise in battery storage and power delivery to help meet the growing demand in Australia for efficient solar energy solutions.”
One thing Anker hasn’t talked about much is pricing, with the Solix energy system similar to other home systems in that pricing can be very much tailored to the specific needs of homes. You might need to just the battery or the entire solar panel and battery system, and so pricing for these sorts of things can be difficult.
But with the release of the Anker Solix energy solutions, it does suggest there could be room for new players in home energy, and that could mean better prices for everyone who needs it, too.
