EcoFlow Energy Flow Collecting Solar Panels and a storage battery with innovative microtransducer A unit that allows you to return solar energy back to your home grid without the need for any professional installation. Instead, it simply plugs into your electrical outlets. With no installation required, the system can be Perfect for those who live in rented apartments or who Solar panels cannot be installed on the roof.
PowerStream is now available in Europe, with a basic kit consisting of the micro inverter, four 100W flexible solar panels but no storage battery costing £950. Add the company’s new Delta 2 power plant into the mix and that comes to £2,049. And if you already have plates and a battery, you can buy the small adapter on its own for £329. Availability in the US has yet to be confirmed, but to point out the base kit’s £950 price turns out to be $1,180.
I tested the PowerStream mini inverter with the EcoFlow Delta Max and Delta 2 Max.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Here’s how the PowerStream kit works: Place the solar panels on your roof, in your garden, or mount them on your apartment’s balcony railing and connect them to the mini-inverter. It is then connected to both the power station and the electrical outlet in your home.
Once set up through the EcoFlow app (a necessary step, but available on both iOS and Android), you’ll be able to control the flow of energy from your solar panels, direct it toward your home, to the battery or split between both, charging your battery more slowly while still saving energy. Some solar energy for your home.
Portable solar system power station designed for balcony.
The idea is that small apartments are able to generate solar energy throughout the day, using some of that energy to supplement energy taken from the grid, with excess energy stored in a battery for continued use. Solar power overnight – or kept as a backup in case of a power outage. While balcony solar solutions are available from different companies, EcoFlow says it is the first to offer a version that combines home grid use with battery energy storage.
I am not allowed to install solar panels on my roof, so instead I have to open the portable panels when the sun is shining.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
I’ve been testing the range for about a week from my home in Edinburgh, Scotland, and so far I’m impressed. Setting up the kit is a real plug-and-play affair and using the app to monitor the input from the solar panels and to the battery, to my home grid or a combination of the two is simple.
My house is listed historically, so local regulations mean that I am not allowed to install physical solar panels on my roof. Instead, I’ve been using EcoFlow’s 400-watt portable panel, simply put it on my ceiling (through an upstairs window) and run the cable back inside and into the power bank. Previously, I’d just carry this power bank anywhere I wanted to use the power (usually my office), but the new little adapter means I’m able to leave the battery by the window and feed that power directly into my home grid.
You’ll need to use the EcoFlow app to adjust the power flow, but it makes it easy to see how much a solar panel is pulling.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
While I was testing it with EcoFlow’s new Delta 2 Max power station and the older Delta Max station, the PowerStream microinverter will work with any of the company’s batteries and can be used with additional Delta series battery packs, allowing for more energy storage. Although you can’t yet link different power station models together, it’s a simple process to disconnect the small transformer from one power station when it’s full and connect it to a different station, if you have different models.
The PowerStream system is also compatible with EcoFlow’s new smart plugs that place between your appliance and your home’s grid, allowing you, in theory, to direct your solar energy precisely to whatever appliance you’ve plugged in. We haven’t been able to properly test them since my setup arrived, so we’ll reserve judgment on the long-term usefulness of the plugs after deeper testing.
EcoFlow Smart plugs aren’t required, but they do allow you to direct solar energy to specific appliances, rather than the entire home.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
But despite a couple of typical issues when reviewing early access devices, I’m pleased with the system’s performance. And I’m so excited to be able to properly add solar power to my home without having to physically install panels or needing complicated transfer boxes professionally installed along with my own breaker.
If you live in a rental apartment without access to a roof, but with a balcony, PowerStream might be a great option to consider. Although I don’t generate enough solar energy to power my entire home, those with minimal energy needs may be able to use it as a total Off-grid power solution.
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