Sometimes it's easy to forget that we have the greatest power source in the universe merrily burning away a mere 150 million kilometers above us.
With blackouts, increasing energy bills and controversy over fossil fuels becoming more and more widespread, why did just 5% of global electricity come from solar power in 2021?
On a domestic level, cost and complexity are the twin barriers to powering our homes with sunlight. But they're no longer as insurmountable as you might think.
The heart of the system is Bluetti tech's EP600 (mở trong tab mới) power station, with form as simple and striking as its function. Traditionally this kind of kit comes encased in the same sort of injection molded, ruggedly masculine plastic as power tools, but the Bluetti model resembles nothing so much as a handcrafted piece of designer luggage. No terminals or wires, just nice rounded corners and a subtly stenciled logo.
(Image credit: Bluetti)
Just plug a solar panel (either one of Bluetti's own or your model of choice) into one end and your home appliances into the other. That's it. The EP600's 6000W bi-directional inverter takes care of the rest and is powerful enough for pretty much any domestic use.
So that's power. Now let's talk storage. As a wise man once said, the sun can't shine all the time, so the second part of the puzzle is the Bluetti B500 (mở trong tab mới) .
No mysteries here either. It's just a battery. A massively capacious battery with 99.9% MPPT for the highest charge efficiency. It stacks seamlessly under the EP600 and can hold almost 50kWh worth of juice.
There's more. Fifteen more to be exact. You can stack a total of sixteen B500 batteries under the EP600 (mở trong tab mới) power station, storing up to 79.3kWh, or enough energy to run a standard home for around three days.
That's a lot of episodes of ‘The Walking Dead'. But you don't need to be preparing for disaster to make the most of your very own fully expandable solar powered power grid.
(Image credit: Bluetti)
Protection against blackouts and brownouts, reducing your energy bills and cutting a few toes off your carbon footprint are just a few of the other reasons to take the step towards energy independence.
And, if you're more of a rolling stone, the EP600 weighs in at just 40kg. Not exactly pocket-sized but it'll fit nicely into your campervan for the ultimate mobile home experience.
Drive electric? A B500 (mở trong tab mới) in the boot can extend your range considerably, adding around an extra 150 miles depending on your make and model.
Wherever you are, you can manage everything from your smartphone via Bluetti's bespoke app (available on Google Play and the App Store).
And the sticker price for the power of the sun?
The latest price for an EP600 power station and a pair of B500 stackable batteries is only £8,100, €8,999 or $8,650, available to pre-order from Ở đây (mở trong tab mới) soon (included is an impressive ten year warranty).
With solar power now within the economic reach and technical grasp of domestic users, we think things are about to change.
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