Brian Cooley- please never retire and always make tech videos. You are a CNET legend.

The living legend Brian Cooley, Only he can articulate the best. I never get tired of watching his videos. I wish him and Molly Wood would do another collaboration soon like a few years back.

A couple of notes; there are significant areas that do NOT have variable rate electricity - it's the same price all day so you can't make up any saving with rate of use charging. Also in our area, the power company has to buy excess electricity for the SAME price as they charge to generate it (distribution and other charges not accounted for). So in our case, battery storage made no sense as we might have one outage a year and no other real savings or benefits; it just would have been about a $10,000 add-on to our solar install costs. YMMV

In NYC, Con Edison is your battery. Instead of buying electricity from you, they take it and owe you back that electricity. So when your panels are not generating, Con Edison gives you back the electricity. I think they only charge delivery fees if you go above the negative balance.

Feels like I watched a Generac commercial for the most part until the last bit. I'm thinking of adding storage to my small 4KW system and have it top off at night off the grid when rates are lower. I think the low rate for that is 8 cents per kWH, vs 16 cents for the regular and 20 for the high rate. I don't feel I would need the top of the line for storage either so need to explore various options.

I could listen to Brian Cooley talk about anything, great presentation every time, informative, interesting, makes watching the video a joy 👌

We have the same system and those generac batteries have been awesome. We have had not to pay an electric bill for the last 7 months. The thing not mentioned particularly about general’s solution is their system is a dc only system, so folks who have panels already won’t be able to retroactively add it due to how the inverters were installed. This home was having panels installed too, so they can directly tie its dc power into the inverter and the battery in one installation. I love their system, but that is one complication when planning the whole install.

I have had Enphase batteries for about a year. They have worked well. I just watched a video earlier today that said that Generac had an issue with one of their components (not the battery) used in battery installations. Put some installers out of business with warranty calls because many of the systems failed. They may have solved the problem now, but I'm sure that has to leave a bad taste in existing customers and installers mouths. I'm not a Enphase fanboy, there a multiple companies out there that have good solutions. The guy also said that you can charge your batteries from the grid. You need to read the fine print on that. If you used the tax credit, there are specific rules about charging off the grid. Generac also has a smaller limit in terms of total KW of power you can store versus other solutions.

Good video explaining most of what’s needed to get started ✌🏾

I think it's worth pointing out that some places like Pacific Northwest have a very stable grid with built-in storage (hydro dams) and fixed rate electricity. Here in Seattle I've experienced maybe an hour of power outage in 10 years. Home batteries make no sense here, especially if you can plug critical loads into your car which has a bigger battery anyway. Yet people are installing them. 🤷‍♂️ My solar installer tried to up sell me.

Would be great, but our area doesn't have rates tied to time of day and has very stable grid power. I run the numbers every year and unlike panels, batteries just can't pay for themselves here. As backup? cool idea. A portable genny costs 5k to run the light, fridge and room ac. Love the tech, but they really need to work on getting the price down for the initial install (maybe 5kwh) followed by a way for the homeowner to add the upgrades themselves.

Always a good explanation. I got hooked on Brian’s videos back in the late 1990s when Cnet broadcast using the Real network: RealAudio over my 28.8 kbps dial-up and, when I got my blazing fast 1Mbps cable connection, RealVideo.

Our generac battery pack does not work below 40° Fahrenheit or above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. When it does work it's great, but that just makes when it doesn't all the more frustrating. When something does go wrong you contact generac and if they can't fix it over the air they contact your installer. The customer service division of generac does not work with the technical support side of generac so that your installer talks to different people than you do and often things are lost in the transfer. We have had three issues with generac batteries and the two that required a technician took over a month and now almost 2 months to resolve for 2 nd time. If you deal with generac you are best served if you make sure your installer is not a third-party but works directly with generac.

We're doing whole home backup with 32 kWh of USA-made batteries, and 25 kW of panels. I've experimented off-grid and can still trickle charge one car and run a/c on a sunny day. Otherwise, we're doing power shedding during peak hours and full-blast charging at night, to maximize time we have full capacity to run the house in a blackout. During the day, we're just running the meter back. After less than 1 year, we've already earned back about 5% of the initial investment, and power prices aren't going down anytime soon.

You touched on something that I’ve been trying to find out. At one point someone said that a solar array that is undersized for the battery can never fully charge that battery. Is that correct? If so, why not? I have a small (1,000 w) array which takes 2 - 5 days to charge an Ecoflow Delta Pro plus 2 extra batteries (10..6kWh). That’s good, but not enough. Getting a larger array is not an option due to space limitations. Rather than get a second Delta Pro, I would prefer to install a larger battery, even if it takes a couple of weeks to fully charge. My priority is backup power when the grid is down, so it would also be nice to be able to charge it from the grid when bad weather is coming. But if my small solar array can never fully charge the larger battery, getting a second Delta Pro setup starts making more sense. Once one is fully charged I can simply move the charging cable to the other unit. Thanks in advance for any helpful feedback.

When I installed solar on my house 12 years ago there wasn't much choice for batteries and they were very expensive, so I chose to send excess power back to the grid. Living in a remote area I also have a whole-house generator system for a backup, so going solar for me was a way to reduce my electric bill by 75%. Although this infomercial for Generac battery storage was interesting, I think I would make the same choice today. Battery storage is great for living completely off-grid, but if you can feed your excess power back into the grid I think it is a more cost-effective solution.

Good information generally but check the power rates both in and out in your area. Where I live top rate is 13.5 cents per kWh . Some people who got in early got buyback rates of 25 cents per kWh and do get cheques.

In South Africa due to our national power provider not being able to meet demand, "loadshedding" is implemented. So having a Hybrid inverter with solar and battary backup is very popular and becoming a necessity .

We have had 13.2kw solar for 6 years and just added 27kw of battery storage. Best thing we ever did. Everyone who has solar should try and get a battery or 2 added to their system. Greetings from Australia.

I have a 6.6kw solar panel array with a 5kw inverter I paid AUD$5500 for the system and it’s ROI was 2.5 years. 2 years after getting the solar. I started investigating storage. I found Alpha ESS had a good system for the price I paid AUD$7500 for a 10Kwh battery storage system with a 4.5kw inverter. Energy prices in Australia have changed dramatically and now the ROI for the battery went from 6-7 years to 4 years. I have been very impressed with the system and we average 2kwh of grid power a day but we consume 30kwh. I now have my system integrated with my smart home and if backup power is on then all my smart lights will dim to a low red hue. nothing gives you home ownership pride when the neighbours come knocking on your door asking how we have power during a black out. It’s a massive flex and something I think is very important about energy independence is it makes you live better life in your house. Hot day? No worries turn on the AC it’s free! Feeling lazy and don’t want to hang out the washing? No worries use the dryer it’s free. You live a better life with less stress and gratification that you aren’t contributing to co2 emissions. If I could have my time again I would have spent the extra AUD$1500 to have the battery inverter upgraded to a hybrid inverter and plugged the solar array directly into the one system. This would allow me to charge my battery with solar if the grid was down this is because I have an AC coupled system. But they where installed at separate times and budget was tight for a student share house. If you can afford it invest in it so long as you are well informed and do your research on the systems available and ensure your installer proposes their installation design before they start you two will have a better lifestyle.

The comment by the solar/battery rep about how Net Energy Metering works is very incorrect (In California at least). Charges and credits for energy pulled from AND pushed to the grid accrue at the same rates. Only when you have pushed back MORE energy than consumed, in a given time period (true-up bills are once per year) will you only be paid the wholesale energy rate of $0.03-0.04/kWh.

Brilliant video. I'll watch anything he puts out such quality well thought out videos

I get paid dollar for dollar for what I produce Vs what I pay for electric, we don’t have peak or off peak hours either so the only advantage a battery would give would be backup power.

YO THANK YOU SO MUCH

Installed solar last year with plan of adding home batteries, last week we had a storm that knocked out power for 22 hours. Thankfully it wasn’t mid-summer and 115 degrees.

How about some numbers Brian - What is the estimated payback for this setup? Or if there isn’t one, what is the cost for the peace of mind of battery storage?

A home battery storage is great for a blackout, but then solar panels will be needed too. All that stuff adds up to a whole lot of money. My area doesn't have blackouts often, so I only have 3 mid-size portable power stations with 3 portable solar panels for those rare times.

UK here. I have had solar and batteries installed for just over 9 months now. I'm on an E7 tariff, i.e. much cheaper power for seven hours overnight. The solar is great during summer, not so great during winter. I've found that if I get 2kwh generated from the solar during winter, the battery charge (takes about 2 hrs overnight) will supply us for the whole day. Unfortunately, if I don't get 2kwh, the batteries are depleted come 8pm. So we start back on the grid. Summer use is totally different. Not only can I turn off the battery charging but also export the excess solar production. Win win. With hindsight, given the solar cost, I would prioritise batteries over solar - I intend to get a couple more batteries in February. The UK government is removing the VAT on batteries come 1st Feb 2024. Happy days.

Really well explained segment. Just installed solar and looking to add a battery in the next year.

It's nice to see that the main stream media is now discussing this topic. As incentives grow and prices fall because of scale, this will hopefully be our near future.

I wish battery storage made sense where I live. But here electricity costs the equivalent of 9.2 cents USD per kWh. All day long, no time of use pricing. And we also have full net metering for home power generation. So house batteries here truly have no purpose other than covering power outages. Sadly, in a way, because I really want a house battery but can’t even joke about justifying the cost.

Thanks for this! I have people knocking on my door selling solar every other day claiming I'll never have a light bill again. I never trusted that sales pitch but now I know better what to expect and how it could actually make sense. Excited for the future of this tech.

What you should’ve pointed out that a solar array, along with battery storage/ backup costs tens of thousands of dollars. The pay off of recovering these costs as comparing to just staying hooked up to the grid is years. Figure the maintenance & costs of new batteries when the old ones can not longer recharge is again, staggering.

Depending on the electric utility company there are some cases where the battery is unnecessary. Some utility companies will credit the extra electricity you produce at the same rate that they will sell it back to you. In a sense, the utility company is acting as a virtual battery. If that's the case, a battery is good for frequent power outages. If those are rare in your area, and your utility is crediting your overproduction at the same rate as your usage, the battery really does not make sense.

In West Virginia AEP power company will give you 1 for 1. Every extra 1kwh you send them during the day they let you have back 1kwh at night . Been hard to justify battery because of this because AEP is my battery storage right now. If there is a system that would let my solar work and charge battery system during day when utility power is off and or allow my to use generator to charge battery when utility power is off I would be interested.

The 20% would be the charge of the companies would make for storing and profit in case you wonder.

I was told a battery setup for my system would NOT kick in on a backup because of backfeeding the grid. Has something changed?

This is very interesting but feels like a US and potentially a UK problem. Here in Australia in pure return on investment, solar alone is usually 5 ROI. Batteries have a 13-14 year ROI making them only good for those with environmental concerns or gaming rates. My own experience without a battery is that I always get a monthly refund for my electricity because the amount I use when sun is down is barely 10% of the daily export. This means that electricity refunds to my account are about $2500 per year. My import was 30c but recent pressures have pushed this to 18per kW and my export is 21c. Worth taking into account though that solar systems are roughly 1/3 of the US price whilst batteries are more expensive than US price.

Another great video by CNET and Brian Cooley. Love how you guys explain things in a way everyone can understand!

Wow, huge miss on Net Metering. I get a full one for one exchange from National Grid. For every kW I send to the Grid, I get one back for free. In addition, they left out Connected Solutions where we home owners are paid by the grid to allow them to pull power from our batteries during peak demand. I make $1,500 each summer. That’s after Tesla rakes 20% off the top. Nice ad for Generac though. How much is the system? How much more for each battery pack added? How about monitoring? Is there an app?

Brian, awesome segment!!! I’ve been telling everybody I know about the coming electric revolution that makes an energy ecosystem out of Solar, Batteries, and EVs. They immediately lose interest… I’ll share this video instead!

Listen, there's a good chance someone is trying to hack your website right now. You GOTTA make sure you're covered. 🤣

Good video. Such a bummer that PG&E won't pay the wholesale power rate for back-feeding. There was a time when the electro-mechanical meters would just run backwards but because of weak state government consumer advocacy, PG&E doesn't have to pay the consumer fair market price. For these modalities, policy matters.

Battery storage is still very expensive. Only in condition where you have over dimensioned Solar AND/or big price difference between Peak prices and low prices, it might make financial sense. Then you need to calculate, that 1000kwh of cheap power through battery and losses becomes like 800Kwh of peak price power. The price gain between it, is the value you set off against the costs of the system, to find out at howmany KwH you brake even. Set that against the KwH per year you get from the battery, and see if the ROI makes any sence in your case. Same for solar, but then calculate howmuch "costs" a solar Kwh (price of solar system decided by total kwH you will get out of it). as the "Low KWH" reference. of the ROI doesn't make sence but is not too far off, you can still choose the system, but then really specificly based on it being a luxery and/or Back-up benifit. Of as in the video's accemply, perhaps a batter backed up KwH is cheaper then a Generator created KwH (with rising fuel prices, and lowering battery costs, it might ;-))

Electricity savings is third on my list of priorities 1st having back up power for when the grid goes down 2nd charging a EV from home and using the EVs battery to support the house when the weather isn't good for solar generation...but a must have is a fuel generator to cover all contingency's , can never build enough redundancy in to your home electricity generation system!!!.🤔💕🇺🇸🇺🇦

Your mileage may vary. If your grid is stable and fixed rate electricity, then it makes little sense. For us, even with the fed credit, the battery warranty was too short. (before payback)

The solar story has to pivot from being green and having power during a blackout to a national security issue.

In the USVI we pay that high rate all day long for residential accounts 🤣

2:35. I’m not even interested in doing solar panels, I only want the battery wall so I won’t need to rely on a generator every time the wind, snow, heat, etc. takes out my electrical service which has been averaging 3 days.

A lot of areas have very little sunlight in the long winter months to produce enough battery stored energy to run a home without a massive solar array which is not only impractical on ones property but also very expensive. It would be nice that an average home owner could afford all that is required of these systems it still is a technology that is mainly for the wealthy unless you can do much of this yourself.

Will there be a step change in both cost and performance for home battery systems when solid state battery systems become available?.

this is a nuts solution for 'free power'. i'm guessing the cost is about 25k for the whole system. and, that's on discount! better to have liquid fuel in large storage containers and a generator hooked up to you home during an outage. use solar to keep the water tank heated.

We use our batteries (Powerwalls) to prevent having to buy power from the grid and power the entire house if there is a power outage. We have gone from $400/mo. bill in the summer to a $10/mo. bill. I wish we had done this sooner. So far, I have not seen any need for a generator. However, I can understand the utility of a generator. Or even, better yet I would like to be able to use the160+kWhs of battery capacity we have in our EVs to as a secondary option to power the house.

Note: Hotwater tanks are also a form of battery if you use the energy generated by solar.

Reading the comments from mostly US users has bought home to me how individual houses in the US use huge amounts of energy....I'm in the UK and have 10 panels = 4.6kw, a 3.6 inverter and a 6.5kw battery, cost inc installation £9,900 (US$11,500)...I use 3,200 kwh per year, my system can generate roughtly 5k kwpa...payback is 4-5 years...really the only things we don't have which are common in the hotter states are pools and A/C...some of the remarks here are looking for battery storage in excess of 100kwh...you could run a street on that!....I have yet to see one comment that actually mentions the savings in CO2 contributions which are responsible for Global Warming....having battery storage simply means your house runs for free from solar power during the day and free from stored solar power during the night. Installing solar was the best thing I could have done, I love it!

If you go away for a few days or longer and your battery has an app for when to take power from the grid and return it to the grid, you can have it fill up during off peak and return it during peak time and make a profit :).

Batteries do not make sense in California as long as NEM 2.0 is in effect. We are being paid full retail price of electricity the solar panels export during the day and we draw back from the GRID at nights. The difference between peak and non peak price is like 15% more at peak hours. The only advantage batteries offer is backup when the GRID is down, but blackout does not happen often enough to justify a $12K investment.

Grid tie or not, solar without batteries is incomplete. Just like a diesel without a turbo, is incomplete.

There are people who have figured out to do this with used batteries, almost no matter what Batterie you put into that system. One goes down? No worries the system is resilient enough to handle that, you plug in a new one later when you have the time.

So what happens when you have a detached garage that’s 20’ from the house . And you have a breaker box and a fuse box . 2 furnaces and an in law suit.

This was a bit misleading at least @3:31, about solar Net Metering... this example was in CA, which DOES have retail rate net metering. PG&E pays me retail, peak prices, for any power I send back... NOT 4c/kwh (that is for ANNUAL NET SURPLUS generation at true-up, not net metering during each day.) Batteries don't make much fiscal sense for retail net metering states/utilities, since the GRID already is your "battery", for 'free"... you could still do peak-shaving, but, it's unlikely to pay off vs net metering. It's more for backup only (which can still be priceless, for folks in wildfire safety shutoff regions or other frequent outages.) Now, if you have solar and peak Time-of-Use rates but NO retail net metering, then battery peak shaving can be helpful, and really enhance the value of your solar- but, still not sure it will pay off as fast..?

There is a future coming where homeowners can participate in a shared utility in distributing power from their home batteries. California and Texas are already doing this.

So now, instead of having a reliable power grid, you have to fund your own power plant.

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with Solar without Battery storage if your Utility offers Net Metering. With Net Metering, your utility becomes your FREE BATTERY.

My question would be, how long does that battery last with those circuits ? And will the batteries charge while the power is out ? I was told it’s not worth having batteries

Instead of selling extra energy back to the grid for next to nothing, store it to use in peek hours in the battery storage system you paid 40K for, plus 30% interest. Then replace in ten years.

I've used future energy to get solar installed on my roof in my past home... I highly DO NOT recommend them. They sell you the world but when it comes to support... Good luck. Had to file BBB complaint against them for false advertising. Also their costs are 3 times more expensive then other companies for cheap brands

Battery back ups only last 10 years...then its another 10K

Someone forgot to do their research because there are more States in electric utility companies in the US that charge a flat rate then there are states who have rolling "Peak" rates during the time of the day California and Texas being two of the states in the U.S. that I'm aware of that does the rolling Peak rates crap.

Considering loss of efficiency in charging and discharging the battery, Is it still profitable to store energy during off-peak from the grid and using it during peak time?

Great segment, but how come no mention of price?

Its way cheaper to install a LP/NG powered generator for $8,000 that can run for a week or longer than to instal a $25,000 solar/battery system that may only keep you going for only 2 days during the winter. a generator will also be easier and cheaper to maintain and replace rather than have a crew poking holes all over your roof and garage.

Wow! Where is the electrical rate 45 or 50 cents per kWh??

do ppl's power really go out that often?? we only have scheduled blackouts for maintenance... also how do these systems hold out in floods or hurricanes

Sounds very good. Except that it's expensive. If the cost is good enough, you won't need incentive to convince people. Solar is better value for the money. Combined with the previous Net metering program it was really good. Now California had too many panels already that they are cutting the program significantly back.

I'm all about battery storage but I would MUCH rather have lithium iron phosphate in a home than lithium ion. LFP is a much better chemistry to have under your roof. Second - I would much rather have a system that can actually run the home. Look at the Sol-Ark 15K. It has a 200A pass through. No critical load panel. It uses your current panel. It's smart enough to balance solar, batteries, and grid use....all in one box.

Why in winter people can’t heat a home just with solar pannel during day, 0 batteries just some heaters

Solar is very expensive in America. No justification for it since the same stuff is used in other countries.

You misunderstood him about storing in off peak hours. He is saying you can do that even without solar. You said with solar..

If not trying to sell battery systems, it would have been much more accurate to describe solar system Net-Metering, which is probably the most common solar arrangement currently. In net-metering, any power you don't use immediately goes to the grid. The power company each month balances how much electricity you use, against how much you sent to the grid. You only get charged for power you used from grid more than generated. You only get paid for power you sent out that is more than you used from the grid. So as long as you send the same in the day as you get from the grid later, you have a bill of $0. Batteries on the other hand, add $10-40,000 to the price of solar. I'm not a solar installer. I read about it and watched videos, especially the ones from my power company, before ordering a solar system that will go in my pasture next Spring when the ground thaws. Because my pasture can hold more than pretty much any home roof, and no roof leaks or re-installation when putting a new roof on! Also, our power is very stable with minimal above-ground wire between substation and our house, and my electric truck can power the house when grid is down, which is our "battery". Certainly if I lived in California or Florida or Texas coast, or an urban-blighted system with poor grid, I would get a battery system instead of just solar, due to the predictable black-outs.

In the US you cannot charge the battery from the grid if you have solar, so the whole arbitrage discussion is misleading. There is nothing technical that prevents it but if you get a tax incentive for installing the battery as a part of solar system, you will not be allowed to charge it from the grid. IRS rules control the battery :)

This must be an ad geared to Californians that have to deal with the most expensive and unreliable electricity. True a home can have 40 to 50 cents kWh in peak? Really? My kWh is 11.6 cents up to 1000kWh per month and 13.6 cents over 1000kWh.

When installing batteries, be aware that using the grid to charge the batteries disqualifies you for the 30% FTC (for the purchase of the batteries).

Does anyone else think Brian Cooley sounds like Mike Rowe?

EASY fix: Use MOON panels at night!!

My boss just doubled his panels and added 3 more Tesla 2.0 batteries. He’s set.

When it comes to renewable energy there's always discussion on recouping your investment but the question that I think puts that to bed is how much would you pay to keep the lights on during a blackout

I didn't once hear pricing but you already know😒

Choose; gas and oil or a compact nuclear plant ...It's an easy choice...)))

Interesting in a "Back To The Future" sort of way. On remote comm sites with the USAF in the '60s, we split our power into "Tech" and "Non-Tech" loads. In the event of a commercial power failure Tech loads would be immediately picked up by backup power (small, fast starting generators with flywheels), and Non-Tech loads would wait until larger gensets came on line. I'm thinking that it would be a good idea, especially with new construction, to wire a house accordingly.

Good video. American domestic cabling/components is from the Stone Age.

Want to pick your priority loads buy a SPAN pannel

Not quite the whole story regarding buying and selling electricity to the grid at certain times. Under NEM 2.0 if you over produced electricity, i.e. send more to the grid than you receive over 12 months it is irrelevant when you consume the electricity you pull.

who the heck would have solar without batteries? that would be insane.

Another revenue stream for home batteries, depending on the electric utility, is that you can get paid to allow the utility to draw some excess energy from your battery at peak times. Not huge amounts of energy or money, I think $20/month for our utility, but might be a nice little bonus on top of the other savings to offset the large up-front costs. Oh and if the bot that's spamming the comments with the Telegram Scam, good song by T-Rex if I recall, replies I will be reporting it for all the good that does.

I think a backup generator is all you need.

What is the lifespan of the battery? What is the cost of battery replacement? Can the batteries be recycled? Does the battery manufacturing and recycling process produce a lot of CO2? Are we kidding ourselves into thinking these are really green when they are not if we look at the big picture?

Would take decades to pay off. I laughed when the guy said you'd get "free" energy from the batteries.

Generac batteries have been having problems.

Nice but will be expensive to replace the batteries and solar panels in about 10 years.