John McDonnell | FOUNDER | WattHub.com
We all know the Texas storm left thousands without power for up to days. We also know that the market is deregulated. The right-wing parties blame renewable energy, but we also know that it’s not solar and wind that was the sole reason for grid failure. As the residential solar market continues to explode this puts a lot of pressure on battery technology and energy management systems to come to life at a price point that can beat the Utilities. We are on that trajectory. Solar only would leave a homeowner without power in the event of a grid outage. Solar combined with storage and the right equipment (auto transfer switch, etc) can alleviate the long-term power outages…but they come at a cost.
Battery energy storage system (“BESS”) costs are on the decline, however not as fast as we hoped. The demand for BESS is surging and is one reason that the cost is not falling drastically because demand is high and production is striving to keep up. Mass production will also aid in the lower cost of BESS systems, and coupled with solar and/or other renewable energy is unstoppable. Although BESS doesn’t have a major impact on savings in some cases, it is for energy storage/backup power. That power in the time of need is priceless as we’ve seen from the Texas storms. We are in an industry that helps people. We help people be their own clean energy power producers and save them money in the process. We help all types of people, from the rich, middle class, and low income. Receiving an electric bill in the thousands unexpectedly can trip up many families financially. This is all due to weather, the grid, and power supply, all of which, our customers can’t control. The one thing we can bring to the table is control. Solar + storage. Life insurance is a waste of money until its used. Why is storage so different? Maybe we put that in our pitches? This won’t be the last time this happens to our fellow Americans, so it’s up to us to make sure they are prepared.
As for WattHub, we specialize in commercial solar. BESS is being incorporated into a few of our projects, as demand management to help some of our projects pencil. Not all of our customers find an ROI with battery storage, however, under the same pretenses of residential, it’s about taking back control from the Utilities. Stay strong and let’s move some renewable energy!
~ John
