Onyx just announced that they have installed their first 330-Watt “Plug-N-Play” solar panels at their demonstration site in Orlando, Florida. The two all-in-one solar panels have an incorporated micro inverter and a standard US AC power outlet plug that allows the owner to simply plug an extension cord into the panel and then use that chord like an outlet in their home. One of the demonstration panels also has a lithium batteryincorporated into the unit that can store power for when the sun isn’t shining. The panels are designed to attract homeowners who are not interested in the expensive installation costs of most solar panels on the market today.
Typical solar panels require expensive installation and wiring costs to hook them up to the electrical circuit of a home. The Onyx “Plug -N-Play” will definitely appeal to the “Do-it-Yourself” crowd that wants to set up their own renewable energy array. You can, “literally point the panel at the sun and plug an extension cord directly into the panel for immediate power,” according to the product press release.
The demonstration site will be open to the press near the end of the week once the panels are up and running, and we’re interested to see how they perform. One downside of these panels is that since they aren’t hooked up to the electricity running to and from the house to the electrical grid, there’s no incentive to sell power back into the grid — as many people generating their own electricity do. Any power not being used in your home by these new Onyx panels will be lost — that is unless you opt up for the added battery.
+ Onyx
Via Engadget
