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Plug-in Power is coming soon to some 'next billion' consumers!

Updated: Jul 8

Introducing plug-in or "balcony" solar


Legislation to legalize "portable" plug-in solar


New laws have been proposed in at least 30 states thus far


. . . and laws have already passed and implementation is starting in a handful already.

What are the basic provisions in all the proposed legislation? VERY small systems only, using standard or special "added safety" 120V and possibly 220V plugs, with total "portable" power in the ranges of 400W, 800W, 1,200W, and possibly 2,000W.


What are the important "use-cases" for plug-in systems?

  1. Convenience uses

  2. Emergency and "critical needs" equipment

  3. Home medical care equipment

  4. Service for "Next-Billion" customers.

What else is needed to fully open markets for plug-in systems?

EV charging and V2E systems. V2E means "vehicle to everything." It's a term meant to expand on the initial concept of vehicle to grid (V2G) interaction, where electric vehicles plugged into a grid-integrated charging system can be controlled to best manage electicity storage and also provide valuable grid-services when needed. The broader idea for V2E is that EVs can serve a variety of needs with or without a grid-connection.

System sizes for plug-in power can be any order of magnitude from single-digit watts up to the world's largest "micro-grids" that serve campuses, islands, and remote communities, at scales sometimes approaching 100MW. In between those two extremes can be pico-grids, nano-grids, mini-grids, and micro-grids. (See: https://www.appropedia.org/ Grid_Architecture_for_Energy_Ladder_Products_and_Services and Stanton and Nordman, 2017, "Regulating ‘Energy Ladder’ Products and Services -- Delivering Vital Energy Services Using Off-Grid, Mini-Grid, and Micro-Grid Power Systems." The ICER Chronicle 7. https://www.academia.edu/ 34590249/The_ICER_Chronicle_Regulating_Energy_Ladder_Products_and_Services_Delivering_Vital_Energy_Services_Using_Off_Grid_Mini_Grid_and_Micro_Grid_Power_Systems.)

Are regulatory changes needed too, in addition to enabling legislation?


What changes are needed in utility rates and terms and conditions of service?

How is "excess generation" compensated, if at all, for the delivery of "occasional" outflows from a customer premise to an interconnected utility distribution system? How can fool-proof systems be tested and certified for their ability to meet all requirements for safety, including for fire safety, electrical safety for everyone who might come into contact with such systems and for their potential relationship to other interconnected equipment belonging to the same or neighboring customers and the utility distribution system operator or service provider. All those safety provisions are already technically possible, but code and standard setting organizations in the US have not standardized those requirements, leaving manufacturers uncertain, for the time being, about exactly what to include in their designs, testing, and verifications.


In addition to clarifying the legalities of interconnecting plug-in systems at various scales, utility regulations in hundreds of jurisdictions will also need to be updated to provide pathways for microgrid operations and for distributed energy resource aggregation into what are called virtual power plants (VPPs). In a VPP, hundreds or thousands of devices can be controlled in response to the needs of public infrastructure to manage supplies and demands in real time, while minimizing total costs. An ongoing project in the US is developing and providing access to a National Standard Practices Manual (NSPM) for evaluating the benefits and costs associated with distributed energy resources. See: https://www.naseo.org/nesp/nspm.


Systems available for purchase and use now.


[Editor's Note: Existing companies are listed here only for the purpose of showing examples. No endorsement is implied for any particular companies. Readers should investigate thoroughly and understand clearly all guarantees, warrantiess, and consumer protections provided by vendors, installers, and other participating entities, including utility companies and code and standard enforcing authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), before purchasing any plug-in power options.] I am intent upon developing a system for group purchases that can enable bulk-purchasing discounts while offering a full suite of consumer protections. Prototype group purchasing mechanisms are already working in many locations and can be easily expanded to plug-in systems.


PLUG-IN POWER FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW: WHAT WILL YOU WANT IN YOUR STARTER KIT


Here's what's already in my own Plug-in Power kit. First, I have a completely portable system, small enough to fit into the folding wheelcart in the foreground,and showing off in this photo two of my 7 solar panels for charging, plus multiple power connectors and one of my two portable "Eco-Flow River model batteries.



In this photo, the 160W folding solar panel resting on the car windshield, with the battery and some adapter cables and connectors in the middle, and a 45W folding solar panel at the bottom. In this photo, one red adapter (at the left) is plugged into the battery AC outlet for charging. The second red adapter (farther left) is plugged directly into a solar panel for charging, and that connector has USB outlets for charging small portable devices, using the stored solar energy when that is available.



The battery itself (front shown in photo below) has a wide array of outlets. Here you see a "12V adapter for the automotive plug (at top right), a connector to the 45W panel at middle right, and USB A and C connectors at top left. The one AC circuit at the bottom left in this photo, is plugged into a red Milwaukee Tools 18V battery charger (as shown in the photo above).



This image (below) shows some of the additional choices for connecting additional solar panels and/or for using the 12V automotive power plug to charge the battery.




And here, one of my FIVE fold-out solar panels. Right now, I have two 225W bifacial panels, two of these 160W panels, the smaller 45W panel that shows in the second photo, above. In addition I have two one-watt solar panels fixed to batteries for charging low-wattage USB equipment. Anotther smaller 18W folding panel is on order, especially for charging small devices while traveling.




My personal list of appliances and tools ready to be charged this way already includes MANY devices in all four of the primary use cases. The always-growing inventory for my household solar power devices already includes: (1) at least two dozen different LED lighting devices, including flashlights, headlamps, "solar lanterns" and more; (2) some personal hygeine and medical care devices, including thusfar a USB toothbrush, power flosser, shavers and hair trimmers, an AI stethoscope, health watch, and health ring; (3) all kinds of portable audio and video equipment, (4) portable and cordless tools using standard battery packs, like those from Milwaukee, Black & Decker, Craftsman, DeWalt, Ryobi, or others; and (5) "last-mile transportation devices," including an electric scooter and its safety equipment including USB lights, horn, turn signals, operating smart-phone app, and a light-up helmet, and a folding e-bike that fits in even a small car trunk.


Also, newly added are some new portable power supply inverters that are designed to connect to the same Milwaukee brand 18V batteries that I have on hand for running several of my own tools. Those small inverters include plugs for USB-A, USB-C, 12V DC, and 120V AC, plus an on-board flashlight. The manufacturer offers them in eleven different models, thus far, one each for plugging in 18V, 20V, and 24V batteries from different manufacturs, including DeWalt, Makita, and Milwaukee (along with several other brands I do not recognize by their three-letter model codes).


At some time in the not too distant future my household is likely to add a plug-in electric vehicle with bidrectional charging capability, and we already have some devices that generate electricity using bicycle generators and small human dynamos. In the event of long duration grid outages, these devices can let us continue to serve many of our important needs. Yet another option for us would be to use our hybrid or gasoline powered vehicles to charge 12V DC equipment, and/or a 120V inverter that we have for our car. Our separate "whole home" solar and battery system has about 7.5kW of rooftop solar panels on a west-facing roof and 10kWh of AC battery power. That system is wired to a separate "critical loads panel" that serves six circuits in our home. It switches instantly to the solar and battery power during grid outages. And, we can use our two portable batteries and their solar panels to operate all kinds of portable and cordless equipment, up to and including about 400Watts of continuous usage and 800Watts of start-up current.


A check in any store that sells power tools and yard and garden tools will illustrate dozens of choices that are now available for battery operations using batteries that can easily be charged using solar panels and/or by plugging into other power sources.


RESOURCES

These documents are all related to these topics:


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