Preface:

As countries and regions around the world put forward the goal of achieving carbon neutrality, the popularity of home energy storage systems is further expanding. CeramiX New Energy Technology uses safer and more reliable lithium iron phosphate cells, designed and assembled into 5kWh, 8.4kwh, 10kWh, 15kWh…30Kwh, several types of home energy storage systems with different capacity configurations for your choices. They help you enjoy 100% coverage of photovoltaic clean power 24 hours a day. It is the latest type of household energy storage system in line with the needs of the majority of home users. Demand for these storage systems is rising as countries around the world set goals for transitioning to renewable energy.

Home energy storage systems, generate electricity from rooftop solar installations, domestic wind turbines, and low-cost sources of electricity from the public power grid, which can store surplus electricity in the storage system for peak use. They can not only be used as an emergency power source but also save electricity costs for households. In addition to family use, it can also be used for field work, power outages, general household appliances, computers, lighting, communication equipment, and so on.

Smart home energy storage system mainly refers to the energy storage system installed in residential buildings. Its operation mode includes independent operation or operation with a small wind turbine, rooftop PV array, and other renewable energy generation equipment, as well as household heat storage equipment, etc. The functions of a smart home energy storage system include Electricity fee management, electricity cost control, power supply reliability, distributed renewable energy access, electric vehicle power supply, and so on.

Smart home energy storage system adopts integrated home appliance design, exquisite, easy to install, and can supply power for residential, public facilities, small factories, and so on. The integrated microgrid design can operate in off-grid and grid-connected modes, and achieve seamless switching of operation modes, which greatly improves the reliability of the power supply. The flexible and efficient management system can be configured to adjust the operation strategy according to the power grid, load, energy storage, and electricity price, to optimize the system operation and maximize the user’s income.

The smart home energy storage system is similar to a micro-energy storage station, and its operation is not affected by the city power supply pressure. During off-peak times, lithium-ion batteries in a home energy storage system can charge themselves for use during peak or power outages. In addition to being used as an emergency source of power, smart home energy storage systems can also save on household electricity bills by balancing the power load.

The introduction of CeramiX Home Energy Storage Systems

Many people refer to a home energy storage system as a Power Wall, because Tesla’s home battery, introduced in 2015, was so practical and beautiful that it quickly became widely known in the U.S. market. Tesla’s Power Wall is very beautiful, but at the same time its price is very expensive, and not all people can easily afford it. Therefore, after Tesla’s Power Wall, a large number of lithium battery manufacturers followed up and developed their household energy storage systems. CeramiX’s biggest advantage is cheap and safe. It is our vision to make our home energy storage system easily accessible to millions of households, and provide convenience and cost savings for your life.

In terms of installation, our home energy storage system can be divided into two types: wall-mounted and cabinet floor type. Wall-mounted is suitable for storage with small power requirements, such as 5KWH and 10KWH. Cabinet floor type is suitable for larger household electricity demand, such as 15-30kwh capacity. Generally speaking, our home energy storage system supports capacity expansion, that is, you can purchase a small capacity such as 5KWH for use, if the user experience is very satisfactory and you want to increase the usage of clean power, you can purchase the same product for parallel use. CeramiX’s cabinet floor type energy storage system is a lightweight, environmentally friendly, maintenance-free energy storage solution based on a 48V lithium battery pack with a single capacity of 5kWh that can connect up to 16 identical lithium battery packs in parallel. It is the preferred solution for battery storage in homes and commercial centers and industrial power. The CeramiX cabinet floor type is equipped with own-developed battery racks, electronics, BMS, and optimized assembly methods.

In terms of operation mode, our home energy storage system can be divided into the off-grid type and grid-connected type. Off-grid type belongs to a set of independent energy sources outside the power grid. The stored electricity can only be used or continued to be stored in the home. An off-grid distribution box is needed to control the load of electrical appliances in the home. (It is important to note that we do not provide a separate distribution box, which is usually designed and installed by a professional electrician team in the user’s location according to the actual application.) If customers choose the storage capacity of 20KWH below, we recommend choosing the off-grid type, because the off-grid configuration of the inverter price is much lower than the grid-connected inverter, and the system is relatively simple. Grid-connected type of energy storage system normally chosen by the family whose storage capacity is large, their homes may not be able to use off all the electricity, the extra power can return flow into the grid from the energy storage system, which is to sell your home clean energy to national or local government’s power grid, to realize more low carbon contribution and certain economic benefits. Of course, the capacity of the storage is also related to the solar array in the home, and a system with a larger storage capacity needs to generate enough electricity. Here, we generally recommend that the energy storage system be configured according to 10-30% of the total power generation of the solar power array in your home.

A complete clean energy system consists of solar power stations, battery storage systems, and inverters.

One way to understand their respective functions is that a solar power station converts an inexhaustible supply of solar energy into electricity, which can be used to load household appliances through an inverter. However, the sun does not shine 24 hours a day, so at night when the sun sets, the power generation stops. A succession of rainy days would also result in a serious shortage of solar power. As the sunshine duration is shorter in winter than in summer, the power generation in winter is lower than in summer. These pain points in solar power generation are the meaning of the existence of a battery energy storage system! You only need to generate a lot of electricity during the daylight hours, and the surplus power is stored in a battery system, so that clean power can continue to be used at night after sunset or during periods of continuous darkness.

A battery energy storage system is generally composed of a lithium battery, cable, special BMS, plug-in, outer case, and so on. Lithium-ion batteries are the most expensive and the most critical component in the system quality. The lithium-ion cells in CeramiX come from world-renowned partners such as CALB, REPT, and EVE, ensuring quality and safety. And CeramiX can make a solemn promise that we will never profiteer from using B-class cells as the base unit for system assembly. The second most important is the dedicated BMS. The function of BMS is to detect the voltage, current, and capacity of the whole system during the working process of each battery cell in the system. These data can be displayed on the LED screen on the outer case so that you can know the key data of the energy storage system at your hand. CeramiX’s homegrown Bluetooth connection also allows you to monitor and understand these critical data in real-time via a Bluetooth connection to your battery system.

The main function of the inverter is to freely convert direct current and alternating current. Solar power generation is direct current, direct current can not be used directly for electrical load, and need to be converted into alternating current through the inverter. Direct current can be stored directly in the battery system, but when the battery system supplies power to the electrical load, it also needs to be used by the inverter to charge the direct current into an alternating current. Generally speaking, we recommend that the power of the inverter is selected according to 50% of the storage capacity of the battery system. CeramiX has deep cooperation with major domestic inverter manufacturers. We can provide a home energy storage system + adaptive inverter for you, or just a home energy storage system for you, and you buy an inverter by yourself according to our parameters. At the same time, we can also provide you with an All-in-one inverter integrated into your home energy storage system for your choice. If you wish to save time, effort, and money, then you can choose to purchase our entire off-grid solar power system with our custom-designed kits. Our off-grid Solar power system suite contains everything you need to set up a stand-alone solar system to help you achieve complete energy independence: solar panels, home energy storage systems, inverters/chargers, charging controls, circuits breakers, and much more. Applications for CeramiX’s off-grid solar power systems include remote homes, home offices, summer homes, workshops, static trailers, stables, and outbuildings.

Home energy storage benefits for the home:

If you are a user of a photovoltaic system, you are already making a significant contribution to the environment by becoming self-sufficient in the use of solar energy to convert electricity. The use of clean and green energy can achieve no emissions or significantly reduce CO2 emissions. CeramiX’s home energy storage system can help you to be 80% off the grid, but this is only one of the many advantages, in addition to the following benefits:

1.Reduce dependence on the national or urban public power grid, reduce power costs, be independent of power suppliers, and reduce the power demand on the grid. Free from the inconveniences of power supply shortages during special or disaster periods.

2.To help you realize the freedom of solar power use, the lithium battery system will store the solar power generation, then you can use clean energy at night or when the sun doesn’t shine for days.

3.Protect your home in the event of a power outage on the public grid by not worrying about food in the refrigerator spoiling due to a power outage or damaging specific appliances themselves.

4.Reduce peak-hour tariffs. Most countries use tiered tariffs for electricity supply. Electricity costs are high at peak load and cheap at valley load. Then you can use only your home storage system at peak times and charge it when it’s cheaper.

5.Easy to manage, through LED display or Bluetooth link to the phone, real-time monitoring of solar energy, power storage, and home energy use.

Advantages of choosing lithium iron phosphate batteries for home energy storage:

1.Safety: In-home use, safety is always our first consideration. Compared with the ternary lithium battery, the material structure of lithium iron phosphate is much more stable, even because the internal short circuit of the battery thermal out of control, there will be no combustion, only smoke, and local temperature increase. In addition, the real-time monitoring and early warning of our dedicated BMS can greatly reduce the risk in use. Once the temperature, voltage, or current exceeds the safety line during use, our BMS management system will automatically cut off the power supply to achieve self-protection.

2.Weight and size: Compared to the most familiar lead-acid batteries, lithium iron phosphate has a much higher energy density and can store much more energy at the same weight or dimension. Lithium iron phosphate systems are only one-third the weight and one-fourth the size of lead-acid batteries.

3.Durability: The capacity of lithium-ion batteries will decrease with the increase in service life, but depending on the capacity, it can use 2000 to 5000 charging cycles, corresponding to the theoretical service life of about 8-10 years, while the service life of lead-acid batteries is only 2-3 years.

4.Environmental protection: Compared with the heavy metal pollution in the use of lead-acid batteries, the use of lithium iron phosphate batteries is green and pollution-free, which is very friendly to the environment.

5.Low self-discharge: Compared with lead-acid or nickel-metal hybrid batteries, lithium-ion batteries can self-discharge less than 2% in a month under constant temperature.

6.Maintenance-free: Lead-acid batteries and nickel-metal batteries need regular maintenance and maintenance by professionals, which requires a lot of energy and maintenance costs. Lithium iron phosphate is maintenance-free.

Some of the basics you need to know about home energy storage systems

Lithium battery home energy storage system is serious science. As a result, the technical details and the use of the relationship can be difficult to understand – especially if you are less knowledgeable about physics and electrochemistry. To help you better understand lithium battery home energy storage systems, it is necessary to explain some common terms.

The longer a lithium battery home energy storage system is used, the higher its losses become. As with all technological devices, each component is likely to wear out over time. However, what decides its use time limit and function is the rationality of the whole system design and the correct use method of users. The theoretical life of lithium-ion battery cells is 5-10 years, depending on the model and manufacturer. Good products are always at a good price. CeramiX battery cells can last for about 10 years.

The service life of your home lithium battery is affected deeply by the depth of discharge, charge speed, and several charges and discharge cycles. To help you understand this, you should be familiar with the following two terms:

DOD(discharge of depth): This value describes the discharge depth of your lithium battery home energy storage system. A DoD value of 100% means that the home lithium battery pack is empty. On the other hand, 0% means the lithium battery is fully charged.

SOC(State of Charge): Indicates the State of Charge. The value of SOC is opposite to the State of Charge. In this case, 100% means the home energy storage system is fully charged. 0% corresponds to an empty lithium home battery pack.

Do you know how does this information relate to the life of your home energy storage system? Here is an example, in the datasheet of the lithium battery manufacturer, the service life of the household solar battery pack is specified as 4,000 cycles at DOD 80%. That’s more than 10 years of life, based on a rough calculation of a once-a-day cycle. Therefore, it can never discharge completely, and should always have a residual charge of 20%. Only then can it achieve a service life of 4,000 cycles. For example, if the total storage capacity of a home energy storage system battery is 5 kWh, only 4 kWh will be used.

We must avoid more than 80% discharge depth. On average, you should use up to 50 to 90 percent of the stored energy in the discharge process. Deep discharge occurs if the discharge depth is lower than the depth specified by the lithium battery manufacturer. This can damage the battery and reduce its life. Fortunately, our dedicated BMS is designed to ensure that this does not happen.

By the way, you don’t have to worry about a home lithium battery running out of power after the specified number of cycles, the home lithium battery will still work after the specified number of cycles, just its capacity will be reduced. But the number of cycles isn’t the only factor that affects lithium battery life in a home energy storage system. Even when a home’s energy storage system is not in use, batteries naturally age over time. That’s why you should replace the lithium batteries in your storage system after 10 years anyway. This is why there are some terrible cheap B-class batteries in our industry. Such B-class battery cells are unused but stored for a long time, they are sold at a very low price in the market. Some bad factories will install these battery cells in the system and sell them as new products to gain huge profits. So when you buy a home energy storage system with the same configuration at a much lower price than the market price, be aware that it may have B-class cells inside. CeramiX solemnly promises that we will always provide our customers with the most reliable A-class cells to protect your interests.

Another thing that we often talk about is how efficient a home energy storage system is, and you’ve probably heard the word “efficiency” before, in terms of electrical motors, for example. In general, efficiency refers to the efficiency with which a device converts or uses the energy provided. In the case of electricity storage, efficiency specifically refers to the question, how much of the electricity that comes in from the PV system can be used later?

This is because a certain amount of input energy is lost during a stored procedure. Strictly speaking, according to the “law of conservation of mass”, energy is not lost, but some of it is converted into heat during storage, so it is no longer available to you in the form of electricity. Overall, lithium battery home energy storage systems have storage efficiencies of between 70 and 95 percent.

In addition, there is system efficiency. This is the sum of all the efficiencies associated with a PV system. In addition to the efficiency of household battery storage systems, this includes the efficiency of the PV system itself, for example, Solar energy is converted through various components (such as solar modules, cables, and inverters). Losses can also occur along the way.

Everyone wants a photovoltaic system, as well as an efficient electricity storage system. Therefore, in many cases, efficiency is a decisive reason to buy. However, it is necessary to distinguish which efficiency the respective information described above refers to!

Another important parameter is the so-called C-rate, also known as the charge and discharge ratio. “C-rate” reflects the discharge capacity and maximum charging capacity of the home energy storage system. In other words, it reflects the relationship between the discharge and charging speed of a home energy storage system and its capacity. 1C indicates that the home energy storage system can be fully charged or discharged within 1 hour. The lower the C-rate, the longer the use. If the C-rate is bigger than 1, the service time of the home energy storage system is less than 1 hour.

With the help of this information, you can compare home battery solar systems and reliably plan peak load times (for example, calculate your power-intensive household appliances, such as washers and dryers).

How to choose the most suitable lithium battery energy storage system for your family?

1.First you need to determine the exact electricity needs of your home
Choosing the right storage capacity is important. To do this, you should look at how much electricity your home has consumed in the past 5 years. From these figures, you can calculate the average annual consumption and make predictions for the next few years. Be sure to consider possible changes, such as whether your home might be expanded. You should also consider the possibility of additional power-hungry devices in the future (for example, electric cars or new Air handling units). If these are too difficult for you, we recommend that you get help from someone with expertise to determine your power needs.

2.Accurately balance the size of your home energy storage system
Depending on your determined power needs, you can choose the home battery storage capacity that is best for you. However, in addition to electricity demand, the capacity of the photovoltaic system also plays a decisive role. According to our experience, we recommend that you configure 10-30% of the electricity storage capacity as an option, depending on the average daily output of your PV system. For example, your photovoltaic system can generate 50Kwh of electricity per day on average, which may consume 30Kwh by your home per day, so you can choose a storage capacity of 15Kwh based on that.

3.Preference for DC or AC coupling
You can connect your home energy storage system to your PV system in two ways: the AC side or the DC side. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.

Through AC coupling: What we call grid-connected energy storage systems, the home energy storage system and the PV system are connected through the AC grid of the home. When the solar panels generate direct current, the system’s inverters convert it to Alternating current for loading use, and the inverter in the home’s energy storage system converts it back to direct current for storage. When you use stored energy in your home, it is converted back to alternating current. It’s a big conversion process, so it’s less efficient. Ac coupled storage systems, however, have one decisive advantage: they are installed independently of photovoltaic systems, making them particularly suitable for retrofitting.

Through DC coupling: Also known as off-grid energy storage systems, DC-coupled home battery solar systems are less flexible by comparison and are mainly suitable for users who are preparing to install photovoltaic systems with suitable home energy storage systems. They are connected to the PV system on the DC side. Electricity can only be converted when the storage system is discharging. This means less energy loss and better efficiency. In addition, only one inverter is required. This saves your components, which is why DC storage systems take up less space and are less complex to install. However, at the same time, there is a top limit to the size of compatible systems.

There is also a hybrid storage mode, this home battery solar system combines AC and DC systems, meaning that the photovoltaic modules plug directly into the storage system without the need for external inverters. This model is more complex and more expensive. It’s an option for millionaires.

4.Consider whether to store current in single-phase or three-phase mode
Alternating current and direct current is not the only criteria for distinguishing electricity. The number of stages is also relevant. Typically, a three-phase alternating current flows through the public grid. This means that there are 3 separate currents, slightly offset from each other. This makes the current stronger – three-phase AC is thus colloquially known as strong current.

Strong 3-phase AC is especially suitable for high energy demand, such as industrial plants or commercial centers. In the average home, however, the most that are needed is a stove. Ordinary household appliances are satisfied with a weak single-phase current. Therefore, you should consider whether to store the electrical energy of a PV system in single-phase or three-phase form.

For most private homes, single-phase storage is sufficient. Technology is easier and cheaper to implement. If your PV system is particularly large, or if you want to operate several energy-intensive devices, three-phase storage is an option. It is best to get advice on this decision through the CeramiX team.

Often you also need to consider the quality of your investment. Photovoltaic systems can operate reliably for many years, even decades. Ideally, no one wants to replace their battery storage system during that time — or at least as little as possible, so lithium iron phosphate batteries with a long cycle life are the best option.

5.Consider size and weight
Think about where in your home a battery wouldn’t be out of the way, and where it would fit perfectly into the architectural aesthetic.

Don’t forget that in addition to size, the weight of a home energy storage system’s batteries can be significant. The floor where the system is placed must be stable enough to support the weight. Combined with our years of case experience, the more commonplace is the basement or room near the corridor of the meter cabinet. Of course, other rooms are fine, like the garage.

CeramiX designs and manufactures home energy storage systems of different sizes and weights to meet the power needs of different homes and small businesses.

6.Installation technical requirements and regular inspection must be considered
Installation can only be done by professionals. Do you think you can buy a home energy storage system, plug it in, and be done with it? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. From design, production, packaging, transportation, and installation, the installation of a home energy storage system is not for amateurs. Getting professional support to install and deliver your home energy storage system is the way to go.

After all, it’s not enough to simply install batteries — technical tweaks may be necessary, such as replacing the inverter in the PV system. Ideally, you’ll have to find a professional company close to home that will provide a maintenance contract in addition to installation and issue you a storage license. Please save information about your residential energy storage system during use so that you can quickly find the right model for future maintenance or replacement.

In general, qualitative models of lithium batteries do not require maintenance, which is what we call maintenance-free. Still, you should have your home solar cells checked by an expert once a year. If you commercialize solar cell storage, you’re even obligated to do it. Only in this way can we ensure absolute safety. The safe use of lithium batteries is the principle we always adhere to!

The regular inspection generally includes the following:
1.General condition: Is there any visible damage? Is there a risk of moisture, dirt, or dust deposition? Are warning and information signs in their intended locations?

2.Security: Are all parts and connections in place? Are the protections still in place? Are there any disadvantages?

3.Environment: Are the environmental conditions (e.g., temperature) still optimal? Is there enough ventilation? Are there any changes?

4.General features: Does the system work as expected? Are our data backups and documentation reliable? Do you need to update functionality or enforce new rules?

5.Status of lithium batteries: Are resistance and voltage sufficient? Does the capacity meet expectations? Is the temperature normal?
Experts conduct tests and measurements to check the health of home energy storage systems. Especially in our more smart configuration, a lot of information can be obtained by reading data storage.

Once again, inspection and maintenance must be carried out by certified professionals. This is also why Ceramix’s foreign partners and customers are mostly professional teams of electrical engineers or engineering contractors with expertise in electrical construction and operations.

The implications of using home energy storage systems

Almost all the vitality of the earth comes from the sun. With the development of science and technology, we can make more and more in-depth use of solar energy. Solar power generation is an invention with a far-reaching impact on the environment. Even if 30% of your home electricity comes from solar, rather than dirty coal or natural gas, it will have a major economic and climate impact.

But because solar power is subject to so much uncertainty in the environment and climate, with a lithium battery home energy storage system, you can go from 30% solar power to 50% solar power very quickly. This makes your home less dependent on the public grid. At the same time, your home always has enough energy available — a steady supply worth relying on.

In general, you can install a photovoltaic system first and consider installing a home energy storage system later. However, a home energy storage system is more cost-effective if you plan to use it from the start. In this way, photovoltaic systems and home energy storage systems can be optimized for each other. Plus, installation costs are lower — the installation team only needs to come once, after all.

Your home’s electricity needs are met first and foremost by solar power. You only get energy from the public grid when your photovoltaic system is no longer sufficiently powered. So you can further increase your self-sufficiency by reducing the power consumption of your home battery storage system. For example, pay attention to your user behavior, preferably using energy-efficient devices.

Photovoltaic systems do not rely on fossil fuels but energy from the sun. Unlike finite resources like oil, coal, and natural gas, solar will provide us for billions of years to come. Therefore, a separate PV system is a huge plus for your environmental balance. With a lithium battery home energy storage system, you can further improve your ecological footprint and help reduce your home’s carbon dioxide emissions.

In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the lithium battery home energy storage system and the support and help that CeramiX can provide for you are described as thoroughly as possible. I hope that through these, we can build trust and make a contribution to the development of science and technology, environmental protection, and business prosperity. If you have any further questions, please contact us at tommyzhao@ceramixenergy.com for satisfactory answers.