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Glubux's Powerwall (2016)

(secondlifestorage.com)
386 points bentobean | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.422s | source
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ianferrel ◴[] No.43549073[source]
>the solution came with rearranging and adjusting the cells to ensure the packs worked more efficiently.

>Glubux even began disassembling entire laptop batteries, removing individual cells and organizing them into custom racks. This task, which likely required a great deal of manual labor and technical knowledge, was key to making the system work effectively and sustainably.

This kind of thing is cool as a passion project, but it really just highlights how efficient the modern supply chain is. If you have the skills of a professional electrician, you too can spend hundreds of hours building a home battery system you could just buy for $20k, but is less reliable.

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cjbgkagh ◴[] No.43549208[source]
$20K for a home battery backup for someone capable of doing DIY would be far larger than what I assume he has built here. AFAIK the cheaper end is around $340 (2016) per kWh at 20 kWh that would be $6,800. In 2025 at $100 per kWh it would be $2K. If it's worth it would largely depending on a persons post tax required rate of return and how long it would take.
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1. gwbas1c ◴[] No.43549803[source]
I spent almost as much as that for a 2 Powerwalls and installation in 2019. (Granted, I got a 3rd back from various incentives that probably weren't available for DIY.)

DIY (like this project) is only "worth it" if the person doing it enjoys the work or values the lessons.

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2. cjbgkagh ◴[] No.43549891[source]
There is a spectrum of DIY and the sweet spot depends on the person. Since I'm good with electronics my sweet spot is buying premade packs.
3. ◴[] No.43550044[source]