Gizmos & Gadgets: MicroStorage Energy Provides Dual-Power Capability for Solar Installations

March 2, 2017 – A new energy storage system produced by JLM Energy, a California-based company, professes to the be the first dual system for integrating solar power, batteries and the grid simultaneously. Called Phazr MicroStorage, the system includes a combined solar panel and battery system. During daylight the solar energy is converted to electricity which both feeds a building’s power requirements as well as charging the battery and sending surplus power to the grid. As daylight diminishes the system begins to discharge power from the battery while still collecting energy from light striking the solar panel. The company has filed a patent for its Symmetric DC Regulation, the technology that allows the integration and seamless operation of panels, batteries, and feeds.

Each Phazr MicroStorage unit (one can be seen in the image above), is no bigger than a small briefcase weighing less than 7 kilograms (15 pounds), and can be installed behind each rooftop solar panel in an array. From a single residential system to a utility-sized solar farm spread over many hectares of land, the technology is infinitely scalable.

Software manages each panel using Measurz, an application that monitors all installed units,  helps establish energy budgets, and allows for custom configuration to reflect usage patterns. For residential purchases there is a Measurz Mobile App for smartphones.

Phazr units can be attached to any existing solar panel. They can be replaced in the field and add less than a half kilogram (1 pound) of weight to roof load-bearing requirements. The image below shows how Phazrs are installed.

Phazr uses lithium-iron phosphate batteries which operate at 20 to 40 volts. The batteries don’t have the same heating issues as lithium-ion which makes them safer to operate in outside conditions. Each comes with a 20-year warranty matching the warranties found on most solar panel products on the market today.