Hacker News Reader

I like this idea. For many off grid situations energy density and weight is not that big of an issue compared to cost. If instead of the size of a 'Powerwall' you had to have something the size of a coal bunker or compost bin, that wouldn't really be an issue at all if the materials were very low cost and I could build it myself.

View on HN

Glad you like it, and what you described is what I think is the best potential use case for a DIY iron battery too.

You can build nickel-iron batteries yourself, and they use reasonably easy to source materials. The nickel is expensive though, so they can’t easily compete with lead-acid.

You can beat lead acid on lifetime. I looked into that for a remote installation instead of a half ton of lead acid every 8 years. I elected to do lead acid once more and then hope for a suitable lithium solution. I swear that half ton feels heavier every 8 years.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com