There’s an electric bond with water…
It looks like Tesla’s Powerwall 2 battery now has some competition.
Yes, competition – something not often heard among those in the Tesla world!
The “generator” of the future…
Australia-based energy company Lavo has developed a home battery storage system that can power a house using hydrogen – instead of lithium-ion batteries.
While Tesla focuses more on the electric aspect of it, Lavo focuses its massive battery on “electrolysis” – which can generate hydrogen from water, contain it, and then turn it into electricity using a fuel cell.
Lavo’s battery has a huge 40 KWh capacity, which is 3X the capacity of Tesla’s Powerwall 2 battery.
The large battery (called the Green Energy Storage System) can power an average home for about 2 days straight. It can also work as a “generator” in case a grid goes down.
The Lavo Green Energy Storage System measures 66 x 49 x 15.7 inches and weighs a hefty 714 lbs. But the plus side, Lavo states, is that “the key bits should last much longer than a battery system, up to 30 years instead of maybe 15 from a lithium battery setup.”
How does it all work?
To set it up, the user connects the Green Energy Storage System to their hybrid solar inverter and a purification unit.
Next, the system uses the extra energy to electrolyze the water, release oxygen, and store the hydrogen in a metal hydride “sponge” within four red containers inside the whole unit.
It can’t be a modern-day utility without Wi-Fi connectivity, and a phone app that can be used to monitor and control the device.
Since it doesn’t use chemicals like in a regular battery and doesn’t use as many rare earth metals, it’s considered to be more environmentally friendly.
Because of these two factors – and due to the use of hydrogen gas – this system can last longer than lithium battery systems.
Are there any drawbacks?
Like with any new technology, there are some precautions people should consider. For example, there could be a higher risk of fire.
However, Lavo stated that any leaks will disperse quickly and will be “inherently no more dangerous than other conventional fuels such as gasoline or natural gas.”
Unfortunately, it has a lower efficiency than average lithium-ion battery systems. With Lavo’s system, you’ll get back about 50% of the energy collected and stored – while a normal battery process gives you back about 90%.
The sticker price is also expensive – landing at around $26,900. But Lavo hopes to drop it down to $22,800 by late 2022 when it will also be available internationally.
So, would you buy a battery to help environmentally power your home? Or are you waiting longer to see if this technology will actually be worth the sticker price? Let us know below in the comments section!