A step further towards energy autonomy

Yesterday I took delivery of a energy storage system from Columbus Energy, the next step up from photovoltaic panels. This has two benefits for me and one for the grid. The first is that the huge battery liberates me from power cuts such as the one that occurred for four hours on Saturday; a topped-up battery gives me 48 hours of electricity before it runs down. Given that the longest I've ever experienced was 36 hours, that's plenty. [Even the three-day week caused by the miners' strike in the UK in 1974 didn't result in power outages that long.] The second benefit is lower energy bills in winter. Now, whereas my panels cover between two-thirds and three-quarters of my electricity use across the year, there's still a disparity in the price I pay for power from the grid and the price the energy company, PGE Obrót, pays for power from my panels. 

How it works: once the installers had hooked up the battery and the inverter (both about the size of a small fridge, left) in my garage, electricity from my panels began to flow into the battery until its full. The surplus goes to the grid. Should there be a power outage, my house draws electricity from the battery until the grid is repaired. In winter, when I use 20 times more electricity than my panels generate, the battery draws power from the grid at night at the night-time tariff, and during the day, the house is heated and lit by battery power.

The tipping point occurs in late October, when I have to start heating the house and the panels no longer generate enough power to cover that difference. This state of affairs continues into early April, by which time the sun is shining strongly and I no longer need to heat the house. This means that for seven and half months of the year I'm a net producer of electrical power and for five and half months, I'm a net consumer. [It's worth pointing here out that 61% of Poland's energy is generated by burning coal and a further 10% from gas.]

Then there's the benefit to the grid. Poland currently (as of July 2024) produces 17% of its energy from solar power. On sunny weekends and public holidays, when factories aren't using electricity, the outdated and creaking grid is overloaded. In such situations, the self-sufficient are no longer a burden to the system.

I have paid 32,400 złotys (£6,480)for the system, of which I will receive 50% (16,200 złotys or around £3,240) cashback from the Polish state. Yes, I could be poring over the numbers and trying to work out the return on investment – but I won't. I don't care. I have the cash; what matters to me is reducing my carbon footprint in a country that still generates too much power from fossil fuels, and having greater autonomy from the grid.

One thing I don't like about the set-up is that it all comes from China; hardware and software. I looked carefully at the permissions I'm granting to the system supplier, to handle my personal data (the terms and conditions say the data stays in the EU). However, I'm mindful of what Western security analysts have to say about this; the idea that the Chinese Communist Party ultimately has the wherewithal to spy on my energy use is not really an issue, but that it could – theoretically – cut me off from electricity is a small worry. I would have happily paid more to buy a Made in the EU set-up, but do these even exist?

This time last year:
Plenitude in the Year's Fruition

This time two years ago:
Behold the wonder of the commonplace

This time three years ago
The force-field of fate

This time four years ago:
Hot in the city

This time four years ago:
Resting with the heroes

This time seven years ago:
Polish employers' demographic challenge
[Since then, it's got worse. And it will be worse still.]

This time 12 years ago:
The rich, the poor, the entrepreneur

This time 12 years ago:
Food: where's the best place to shop in Poland? 
[BOYCOTT THE BASTARDS AUCHAN FOR NOT QUITTING ruZZia!]

This time 13 years ago:
Bittersweet

This time 14 years ago:
Commuting made easy

This time 15 years ago:
Work starts on the S79/S2 'Elka'

This time 16 years ago:
Warsaw's accident-filled streets