Renewable energy sources are becoming more commonplace for business users, with Google being a good example of both a user and promoter of the technology for renewable energy production. For home use, however, the cost of using green energy solutions, such as wind and solar power, is still quite high. Another problem that exists is how to store the energy generated efficiently and cheaply.

Panasonic may be about to solve that storage problem by introducing a large lithium-ion storage cell targeted specifically at homes. By 2011 the Japanese electronics manufacturer is aiming to have such a cell available that will hold enough energy to power the average home for a week. If such a storage solution existed then green energy solutions which aren’t guaranteed to produce energy 100% of the time, would become more viable and cost effective.

Panasonic is well positioned to attempt such a battery solution due to its recent acquisition of electronics company Sanyo, which has been pushing hard into the renewable energy sector. Last year Sanyo announced it was expanding solar cell production in the U.S. and has since introduced a number of new solar and energy storage solutions such as solar parking bays in Japan and eneloop storage gadgets.

The combined experience of the two companies means Panasonic will be able to produce a complete solution for the home which will include an energy use monitoring system accessible through a TV. More specific details of what Panasonic has planned are expected on January 8th, but the company’s clear goal according to its president Fumio Otsubo is, “realizing CO2 emission-free daily life” in the home.

Read more at Physorg.com

Matthew’s Opinion

Local storage of energy at home takes a lot of the pressure off power companies to continue to produce all the power we need. Instead the current energy grid we all rely on would become the backup power source rather than the primary one. In the long run that saves a lot of money for governments who would need to invest very heavily to keep pushing up energy production as populations grow.

The other benefit of local battery storage is that individual households can choose the level of green energy investment they make. If you want to put double the number of solar panels on your roof that your neighbor has then that’s fine. In the short term your costs will be higher, but you save that money through reduced electricity bills over time. Storage is no longer an issue due to the lithium-ion battery in your attic space.

As is usually the case it all comes down to cost and solar energy especially is still too expensive for a lot of people to consider. But I believe if a cheap battery solution exists then the price of the other required components will come down too. If Panasonic start offering a complete solution then that will surely reduce the cost to the end user significantly as well.
Source: Geek.com