Cheapest power trollies and portable batteries for stage 6 load-shedding

Jan

Jan

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Most affordable backup power systems for surviving Stage 6 load-shedding

Under stage 6 load-shedding, Eskom cuts power for up to four-and-a-half hours at a time, meaning the backup power systems used for lower stages will no longer cut it.

While many South African households are leaning towards fully-fledged renewable power solutions with large batteries and solar arrays, these can be very expensive and unaffordable for most.
 
Sapphiron

Sapphiron

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Be warned that even li-ion batteries need replacement eventually (after 800-1200 cycles). At the current load shedding frequency, that can be 1-2 years from now. Make sure that you can replace the batteries in the unit you are purchasing.

Personally, I prefer this unit, because it takes normal 12V li-ion replacement batteries, so you won't have problems sourcing them in the future.

 
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Harmonic

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Why no mention of the geewiz units? Cheaper and better specced than some listed in the article
 
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BuckRogers

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Sapphiron said:
Be warned that even li-ion batteries need replacement eventually (after 800-1200 cycles). At the current load shedding frequency, that can be 1-2 years from now. Make sure that you can replace the batteries in the unit you are purchasing.

Personally, I prefer this unit, because it takes normal 12V li-ion replacement batteries, so you won't have problems sourcing them in the future.

Click to expand...
What about those new lithium batteries that can do like 6000 cycles (Lithium Iron Phosphate or something like that) ?
 
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Dylan_G

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Sapphiron said:
Be warned that even li-ion batteries need replacement eventually (after 800-1200 cycles). At the current load shedding frequency, that can be 1-2 years from now. Make sure that you can replace the batteries in the unit you are purchasing.

Personally, I prefer this unit, because it takes normal 12V li-ion replacement batteries, so you won't have problems sourcing them in the future.

Click to expand...
FYI, price jumped up by R500 on the 6th of November:

1670570421585.png
 
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ShloshMalosh

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I've got one of those ups for my router and fibre box. but the bitch keeps dying before loadshedding ends :(

1670570839078.png
 
RaptorSA

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Sapphiron said:
Be warned that even li-ion batteries need replacement eventually (after 800-1200 cycles).
Click to expand...

That's for traditional Lithium-Ion batteries that have a high power density (typically for stuff like electric bikes and phones etc.).
They're usually comprised of strings of 18650 or 21700 cells and also pouch cells in smaller, "flatter" devices. You don't really find them used in larger (than say, router backup bricks or cellphone charge banks) backup energy storage devices due to the relatively short lifespan but more importantly, the chemistry is dangerous compared to alternatives so not a good option for in-home storage.

The typical storage solution uses Lithium iron phosphate, they're heavier and less energy dense which doesn't really matter for non-movable storage (although, some electric cars are starting to use them) and have a cycle life of anywhere from 3000 up to 6000 cycles depending on the brand etc.
Also, they're extremely safe and typically just de-gas when punctured without setting the world on fire. They also don't suffer from as much "dendrite formation damage" as typical Li-on batteries when kept at high/full charge or low charge for extended periods.

I have a 2kWh li-ion battery for my electric dirtbike and a 4.8kWh LifePo one for home backup, what's surprising is just how much smaller the li-ion battery is, 42% the capacity of the 4.8kWh yet probably weighs about 20-30% as much.

I won't lie though, that 2kWh battery scares me a little, I treat that thing with the utmost respect.. I've seen what those things can do if they catch fire.

Here's what it looks like on the inside (that is a lot of firecrackers):

1670572305540.png

Lithium iron phosphate is probably one of my favourite inventions of all time.
In fact, there are three things combined that are changing the world in the past 20 years and most people don't realize it:
- Lithium Batteries
- Brushless Motors (with more than 95-98% electric to kinetic conversion efficiency)
- DC speed controller advancements to drive those brushless motors (combined with microchips etc.)
 
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BuckRogers

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RaptorSA said:
That's for traditional Lithium-Ion batteries that have a high power density (typically for stuff like electric bikes and phones etc.). They're usually comprised of strings of 18650 or 21700 cells and also pouch cells in smaller, "flatter" devices. You don't really find them used in larger (than say, router backup bricks or cellphone charge banks) backup energy storage devices due to the relatively short lifespan but more importantly, the chemistry is dangerous compared to alternatives so not a good option for in-home storage.

The typical storage solution uses Lithium iron phosphate, they're heavier and less energy dense which doesn't really matter for non-movable storage (although, some electric cars are starting to use them) and have a cycle life anywhere from 3000 up to 6000 cycles depending on the brand etc.
Also, they're extremely safe and typically just de-gas when punctured without setting the world on fire. They also don't suffer from as much "damage" as typical Li-on batteries when kept at high/full charge.
Click to expand...
So we need to research which trolleys have this battery chemistry.
 
Jean Claude Vaaldamme

Jean Claude Vaaldamme

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RaptorSA said:
That's for traditional Lithium-Ion batteries that have a high power density (typically for stuff like electric bikes and phones etc.). They're usually comprised of strings of 18650 or 21700 cells and also pouch cells in smaller, "flatter" devices. You don't really find them used in larger (than say, router backup bricks or cellphone charge banks) backup energy storage devices due to the relatively short lifespan but more importantly, the chemistry is dangerous compared to alternatives so not a good option for in-home storage.

The typical storage solution uses Lithium iron phosphate, they're heavier and less energy dense which doesn't really matter for non-movable storage (although, some electric cars are starting to use them) and have a cycle life anywhere from 3000 up to 6000 cycles depending on the brand etc.
Also, they're extremely safe and typically just de-gas when punctured without setting the world on fire. They also don't suffer from as much "dendrite formation damage" as typical Li-on batteries when kept at high/full charge.
Click to expand...
But I have seen Youtube videos where they open big electric vehicle batteries and it also consisted of these 18650 and 21700 batteries
 
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