The home of the future – with solar-electric modules on the roof and a lithium-ion battery in the garage – may have a welcome mat out sooner than expected.
The California-based builder KB Home and China's BYD Co., which makes plug-in cars, batteries and solar equipment, have partnered to build modestly priced homes in Lancaster, Calif., that will go a step further than other new solar housing developments by including battery storage of the solar electricity.
Off-grid solar owners for many years have used battery banks to store their generated electricity for later use, but the plan for the KB Home development – smack in the middle of a grid-tied suburban subdivision – could help alter the trajectory for adoption of both solar electricity and plug-in vehicles.
"The energy produced by the solar panels during the peak time is stored in the battery system and can be used later at night for the home," said Bill Wang, business development director for BYD America Corp., at a press conference to announce the partnership in Lancaster, a city about 70 miles north of Los Angeles.
Each home will have solar panels, batteries, LED lights, and other energy-related materials made by BYD Corp., a mainland Chinese company with divisions that make batteries and automobiles.
Storing electricity generated by the solar panels enables homeowners to cut their energy costs and not rely on utility companies, especially during peak times.
“This is the way we can change the world,” said Stella Li, CEO of BYD Electronics, and senior vice president with BYD Corp.
The city played matchmaker to bring KB Homes and BYD together and it took only 45 days for the two companies to work out their arrangement.
That the deal was completed in such a short period of time did not surprise Parris who in his first term has done much to change the culture at City Hall. He treats his position as that of a chief executive: giving everyone a chance to speak, making and decision and doing it.
“I think it will surprise a lot of other people because we’ve gotten to the point where government is seen as an obstacle,” Parris said.
BYD's Future Village
Other Related News
BYD to launch hybrid cars for mass market on Monday
Chinese car and battery maker BYD Co, backed by U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffett, said it will start sales of plug-in hybrid cars with solar panels to the public in Shenzhen on Monday.
The company said it will go ahead with the plan to sell the car to mass consumers as planned, despite rumours that it might postpone the date while waiting for the government to announce new consumer subsidies for new energy cars.
"There had been some rumours that we might delay," BYD spokesman Paul Lin told Reuters in a telephone interview on Sunday. "This will be an upgraded version of the F3DM that we have sold to government and corporate clients."
BYD's new F3DM is a low emission version with a solar panel on the top of the car, allowing it to run on gasoline, electricity and solar energy.
The solar panel can collect energy for the car in daytime although it is not designed to power the car alone, Lin said.
Chinese car and battery maker BYD Co (1211.HK: Quote, Profile, Research) will buy a plant from a major Japanese metal die manufacturer to enhance its competitive edge in auto production, Japan's Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday. BYD will take over Ogihara Corp's factory in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, about 70 km (43 miles) north of Tokyo, on April 1, to manufacture high-precision metal dies for use at its Chinese factories, Nikkei said. One of Ogihara's four domestic die production bases, the Tatebayashi plant makes dies for hoods and other auto body parts, accounting for some 20 percent of its production capacity at home. Ogihara supplies dies to Japanese and foreign automakers, including General Motors Co [GM.UL]. Its earnings have been sliding due to the yen's rise and weak domestic demand, Nikkei said.
No comments:
Post a Comment