Like me, do you ever yearn for the simpler times when the world was a lot less complicated? I blame us men for this mostly. “Look at what I did Mummy...I made a thing and its better than Timmys thing!!”
Well, Off Grid can be one of those topics in life that is a rabbit hole of technical jargon and ‘look at me Mummy’ products. I swear every product that has ever been promoted is the best, with the greatest features and bla bla bla.
And now that the government is dangling the carrot of battery rebates, sorting fact from fiction, the bands that are reliable and actually work (especially over time) and who is reputable or not.. is going to bring things into sharp focus. Sadly, there is no magic pill, but you can always feel confident when you make a decision on a system or brand that you have done your homework on. So what are some of the things you should be looking for...the difficult questions to ask?
Battery Energy Storage Systems or BESS Batteries should have UL 1973 and or IEC 62619 Safety Standards at a minimum with UN38.3 mark of real quality. As for quality brands in storage batteries my biggest tip is look at the warranty to depth of discharge (DOD) rate. Most battery manufacturers provide 5 or 10 years to 80% DOD but there are only a small number who offer warranty lower than this. And keep in mind any rebates will likely be linked to the usable energy in the battery.
I always like to look further than just a product’s warranty - but how long they have been in the market. Looking at inverter chargers, Victron Energy products are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year where new players like Deye are relatively new to the market. Deye makes some very nice product, but will they last the test of time in hot and humid Queensland conditions? Time will tell. I always pay particular attention to the technical specifications and look for things like humidity ratings, anything less than 95% relative humidity and my advice is to RUN away from that product fast (unless you live in Victoria). Check the standards that products are made to, have they had electrical certification for Australian Standards? For example, all 240V chargers should come with an Australian power plug. International plugs are a dead give away that products don't meet the Australian Standards.
If you're looking at installers, ask them how many systems they have installed and what licenses they hold...and are those licenses current. Also ask to speak to anyone who has had a recent install by that company. Some of these systems can be very expensive (depending on your needs/wants) so it pays to have them installed by reputable people. But be prepared to wait for quality people. There is an industry wide shortage of quality installers and especially those that are fluent with battery systems. We are fortunate in the Childers and surrounds to have some very high quality local installers.
Megsy Out