World’s first “plug-in” home battery set to be tested in Australia

One Step Off The Grid

A potentially game-changing plug-and-play home battery storage solution is set to be tested on the Australian market – potentially within weeks – after the US company behind the technology successfully closed out an $US8.5 million seed round with the backing of Origin Energy.

The Wyoming-based company, called Orison, has been working since 2013 on transforming home energy storage from a relatively high maintenance piece of electricity infrastructure into a regular, household electrical appliance that can be purchased directly and plugged in, like any other.

And they claim to have come up with just that: a compact home battery whose components can be shipped directly to a household, easily assembled, and then plugged into the wall and switched on. No electricians, utility approvals, or permits required – subject to Australian regulators, of course.

Orison said this week that, after several years in development, the home battery system was in the final stages of certification testing to be approved as the first and only energy storage appliance that can be fully installed by the consumer.

Once installed, the battery ($US2,200 for 1.8 kilowatts/2.2 kilowatt-hours) and a connected home energy monitor ($US300) coordinate charge and discharge around rooftop solar production and electricity rates. In the case of an outage, the battery can not island the home, but can still power devices that are plugged into it.

“Orison’s consumer-scale modular batteries are designed to make energy storage accessible and affordable to all energy customers, including renters in apartments and multi-family dwellings, while empowering customers, improving grid resilience and accelerating a smarter energy future,” a statement said.

Where Australia comes into the equation is through major gen-tailer Origin Energy, which has been a keen backer of Orison for several years, now, through Origin’s Free Electrons energy start-up accelerator program.

“Origin’s strategy of identifying, investing in and partnering with clean technology companies is not only transformative in getting us closer to a renewable grid but also leads the way for utilities to empower their customers with local services that best support each individual’s needs,” said Eric Clifton, founder and CEO of Orison this week.

“We truly consider Origin an active and integral part of our team.”

To read the full story on RenewEconomy sister site One Step Off The Grid click here…