budget_biochemist

Agree with the “compete with lithium-ion” being weird. The biggest advantage of lithium-based batteries in general is the low weight of lithium providing a good power-weight ratio. For static installations like grid storage that should be mostly irrelevant. As you say, they are used currently because that’s the only battery technology that is widely produced for decades.

While sodium battery tech is taking off, I am surprised that other alternatives like Nickel-Iron (“Edison”) batteries and supercapacitors aren’t used more for grid storage. Supercapacitors don’t hold charge for long, but long enough to charge during daylight and discharge in the early evening when the demand-supply gap is lowest. Their size and weight shouldn’t matter much for a static installation. Nickel-Iron batteries are heavy and need occasional topping up of electrolyte, but again those should be minor issues for a static installation.

Reminder that control of the patents for large-scale many-cycled NiMh batteries were bought by GM in 1994 then Texaco / Chevron in 2000; Chevron have refused to sell or licence the technology, preventing it from being used for anything other than AA and AAA batteries.

Unfortunately its a matter of media visibility. There are a lot of people reading Facebook/Instagram/Whatsapp/Threads and they vote. We have compulsory voting in Australia so Meta has potential to expose a lot of voters to pro-fossil-fuel propaganda without any alternative voices.

Another media example - the Australian TV Channel 7 (one of three commercial TV networks - 7, 9 and 10) is now part-owned by Australia’s richest person, heir to the Hancock mining empire, who doesn’t believe in climate change.. They’ve been pushing anti-renewable crap as “news and current affairs” on Channel 7. I would rather organizations not give them any money, but also I want people exposed to alternative perspectives instead of pro-mining-billionaire propaganda.

Re 1: Doesn’t the solar add value to the home though? That makes it viable even if selling as you can sell for more.

Re 2: The incentive is potentially on the landlord in these cases, to rent out a solar powered home for more. 35% of Australian homes have rooftop solar, many of those are rentals, because people will pay $10 more rent knowing they will save $20 on their bills.

AFAIK most of the small scale solar systems designed for balconies and rentals aren’t intended to connect to the grid. They are designed to deliver power downstream only to a few DC appliances, falling back to a mains power adapter when there isn’t enough sunlight or battery power.