Battery technology has already made our lives more portable and convenient. From the disposable alkalines you used to use to power your Walkman to the modern rechargeable batteries in your cell phone and laptop, they allow us to take our work, entertainment and communication systems on the go. But batteries might have an even grander destiny: they could revolutionize the way we generate and use energy all throughout the home. Read on for a glimpse into our battery-powered future.

From Electric Cars to Your Living Room

Leading the charge into the brave new world of batteries is Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors. Musk recently launched Tesla Energy, a suite of batteries designed to facilitate flexibility for consumers and ultimately pave the way to an energy grid that doesn't rely on fossil fuels.

"Our goal," Musk said at a press conference, "is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy."

Tesla used its expertise in designing batteries for electric cars to make batteries bigger and more powerful. The company’s new lithium-ion batteries are optimized to enable “homes, business, and utilities to store sustainable and renewable energy to manage power demand, provide backup power and increase grid resilience,” the company promises.

Energy at Any Time of Day

Because Tesla’s new battery technology allows residential and business users to store electricity until it’s needed, it creates the opportunity to purchase electricity during off-peak time, easing the stress on our electrical grid. It also helps users get more out of sustainable but intermittent fuel sources like wind and solar.

If the technology catches on, consumers can take better advantage of utility time-of-day pricing. Some utilities in North America sell electricity at cheaper rates during nights and weekends, when there is less demand. A homeowner could therefore charge a battery at night and use it during the day, which saves money for them and reduces the generation cost for the utility company by smoothing out the demand.

Furthermore, as solar and wind technologies become cheaper and more viable, the ability to store their output means that they can further cut into the market share of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, reducing human impact on climate change.

Keep the Lights On and the TV Running

Another advantage of the enhanced storage potential is that homeowners will still have power in the event of a blackout or other disruption to the power grid. And people who want to go off the grid entirely with solar energy can do it without worrying about running out of power during the night.

The batteries are expensive, starting at $3,000 for residential models. If the program takes off, the price should fall and ever-better technologies will be developed to improve storage, capacity, transmission and other specifications.

For now, the Tesla batteries look like a useful, if expensive, addition to the energy-conscious homeowner's arsenal. If prices do continue to fall, however, the batteries could transform into something truly revolutionary.

When you have a young child running around the house, safety is your number one concern. There are hazards everywhere and electricity is one threat that can go unseen. Electrical shock can cause burns, stop your heartbeat and breathing, as well as cause loss of consciousness. Make your home a safe place for your child with these electrical precautions.

Unused electrical outlets are easy access for children trying to stick things into them. If one of those items is made of metal, it can cause serious injury to the child as well as the socket. Use safety plugs to cover up holes and prevent any mishaps.

As with adults, it’s important that there are no electrical devices around areas with water, like the sink or bathtub. By bumping a radio or phone into a sink or tub that the child is in, it could cause serious shock and injury. Also after bath time, make sure your child is completely dry before letting them loose. If they come into contact with any unsecure electrical cords or devices, the water will create an unpleasant shock.

Don’t leave disconnected electrical devices, such as a hairdryer or iron, in the on position when they are not being used. If your child has the urge to put the cord in their mouth, there may be a residual electrical charge that could cause injury.

When unplugging electronics and appliances, don’t simply pull the plug out and leave it on the ground. Children can play with the cords and the tampering can result in an electric shock. Wrap up your cords when you’re done and place them out of reach for little hands. In addition, secure all cords so they are not loose for a child to trip over or pull at.

Electricity is useful in our everyday lives but can also be very dangerous. To keep your children safe, take the necessary precautions to secure your house from any electrical hazards that they could come in contact with. It is better to be safe then sorry.

Generators make an important line of defense against natural disasters and power outages. With a generator, you don’t have to worry about keeping the food in your refrigerator cold, or powering your heating system when the temperatures drop. When installing a new generator, it’s important to select one that is the right size for your home. By size, we mean the power it’s capable of creating, not the physical size (though that can enter into the equation depending on where you plan to put it). In Lynnwood WA, electrical repair services can often advise you on how to size the right generator for your home, but it pays to know the basic before you give them a call.

The first step is to perform an energy audit for your home, determining how much power each appliance or electrical device uses, and then prioritizing them for use during an emergency. Medical devices usually come first on the list, followed by refrigerators and freezers which store your food. Next is your home HVAC system, followed by the lights in your home. Computers, radios and entertainment systems are usually on the bottom of the list: useful for keeping connected with the outside world, but otherwise non-essential in an emergency.

Once you have that list, you can determine two things: how much power is required to run your whole house and how much power is required to run the bare essentials during an emergency. The former number is preferable and if you can afford a generator of that size, then you should probably purchase it. The latter is less ideal but can do in a pinch if you’re on a budget and still want to keep your household running when the power goes out. In that case you need to carefully monitor which appliances are hooked up to the generator so you don’t overload it when the time comes.

When discussing green energy solutions for the wind, a lot of people get nervous. People say wind turbines are unsightly or dangerous to wildlife. These people don’t realize that civilizations have been using wind power for a very long time.

As an alternative energy source, wind turbines produce a lot of energy and produce very little pollution. They are often are placed on hilltops or offshore. The winds offshore tend to be stronger and more consistent. In order to get the best unobstructed wind, feilds of turbines are usually built far enough offshore that they can’t be seen from the beach.

To understand the green energy solutions provided by the wind, you must first understand how they work. Wind is created by the sun heating the surface of the planet unevenly. With one side of the planet in darkness and the other in daylight, one is hotter than the other. Different air temperatures have different density. When hot air rises over cold air, wind is created. In any attempt to produce power, something is generated to move a turbine around. Common methods to accomplish this include running water or steam from burning coal. These methods are harmful to the environment, as they heat the water to unsafe temperatures or release toxins into the air. A wind turbine is a system that captures the kinetic energy of the wind to turn the turbine. Kinetic energy is energy caused by motion. When the turbine blades rotate, that motion causes a drive train inside the turbine to turn. A generator attached to the drive train captures the energy produced, and power lines whisk that power away to the consumer. There is no steam, no pollutants, and no dangerously hot water, only pure, green energy solutions.

The idea of the windmill dates back to the 7th century. In Persia, windmills were first used to turn the heavy mill wheels needed to crush grain into flour. They were mainly used for this purpose until 1887, when the first turbine was created to charge batteries in rural Scotland. The idea caught on fast, and by 1900, there were over 2500 windmills in Denmark. The Danes used the power of the wind to keep back the power of the sea, creating pumps for flooded areas. By the 1930s, many American farms used personal systems for battery charging, but it wasn’t until 1951 that one was finally connected to the power grid in the UK.

Modern turbines haven’t changed much from their original concept. They are made of modern materials and created on larger scales to capture energy more efficiently. One modern adaptation has been the ability to link several turbines together. This allows their energy to be combined and processed by a single substation, letting less power go to waste than if each were wired separately.

Motion-activated lighting can be a big boon for homeowners in Tampa. The added security, safety, and utility are all great, and these simple and effective solutions have been helpfully serving our clients all across Florida for years. But, they can be a bit of a pain sometimes.

Is your motion-activated light refusing to kick on, or are you tired of wrestling with a light that seems to only work when it feels like it? If so, don’t worry! The certified electricians at Hoffman Electrical are here to help, bringing you some fast and easy solutions to get your motion lights back in gear and behaving properly!