Battery Backup Summary

[Court Smith]

This is a brief summary of current battery backup options. Longer term battery prices and options are likely to decline in cost. Many EV companies who have dropped EVs, have switched to making EV batteries available for home use. The market for plug-in options is growing rapidly. 

1. Portable Power Stations (Cheapest)

Great for powering essentials (lights, Wi-Fi, medical devices, small appliances) during short outages. These are plug-and-play and don’t usually require professional installation.

• Ideal for renters, small homes, or supplemental backup.
• Some support solar panel charging too.
• Not typically capable of whole-home backup without stacking multiple units. (EcoFlow)

2. Modular & Expandable Home Battery Systems (Best with solar)

Larger energy storage units that scale with your needs — from a few hours of backup to multi-day power for key circuits or the whole house.

• Often installable indoors or outdoors.
• Can tie into solar systems and smart home panels.
• Professional installation is common for whole-home setups. (EnergySage)

3. Whole-Home Backup Energy Storage (Most like normal)

Designed to power most or all of a home’s electrical load during outages.

• High capacity (tens to hundreds of kWh). Typically 10 kWh and up,
• High power output to support HVAC, refrigerators, EV chargers, etc.
• Best for areas with frequent or long grid outages, or paired with solar. (EnergySage)

Consider

Power Output (kW)

• Determines what you want tor run when the power is off.

Capacity (kWh)

• Whole-home systems are typically 10 kWh and up,

Integration

• Smart panels and energy management systems can automate backup and optimize costs.

Installation

• Complexity of integration

Battery Chemistry

Most common, safety, long cycle life, and thermal stability.

Anyone with experience with battery backup, please add you knowledge.

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>>))))))))))):o>
Court Smith, 541.753.3335
Sometimes with AI assistance

[Dan Orzech]

Thanks for putting this together Court.

Some of you may remember that Southtown had a power outage in 2017 for the better part of a week. First Alternative Co-op had to throw out $30,000 worth of food from their coolers and freezers.

Last week I got this email from Mark Tarasawa at First Alternative about the solar / battery system we funded there two years ago:

Good morning Dan,

Just wanted to let you know that we had a power outage, started at 6pm Tuesday night and didn't come back on until 9am Wednesday morning. The battery backup system worked great for the Annex, it kept the walk in cooler and freezer going all 15 hours with about 45% battery left when the power came back on. We saved all of that product plus more that we were able to stuff in there, plus that was all production for the commissary for the next few days, so we would have been low on product on the shelves instead of able to blast out full production.

Thanks!

Mark

-- 

Mark Tarasawa

General Manager

First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op

Dan Orzech 
General Manager 
Oregon Clean Power Cooperative 
(610) 650-7755 (c) 
(541) 230-1259 (o)
d...@oregoncleanpower.coop

To keep up with our news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

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——————
Energy Action Team | Corvallis Sustainability Coalition
 
VISION: Corvallis has achieved energy security and net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
 
sustainablecorvallis.org/what-we-do/action-teams/energy
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[ami...@willamettewatershed.com]

Wow! Thank you, Dan, for sharing this great testimonial – and thanks to Mark Tarasawa for taking the time to email you about the amazing benefit of this Solarize Corvallis project.

 

From: eatcor...@googlegroups.com <eatcor...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Dan Orzech
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2026 10:03 AM
To: eatcor...@googlegroups.com
Cc: Gabriel Juul <ga...@oregoncleanpower.coop>
Subject: First Alternative (Re: Battery Backup Summary)

 

Thanks for putting this together Court.

 

Some of you may remember that Southtown had a power outage in 2017 for the better part of a week. First Alternative Co-op had to throw out $30,000 worth of food from their coolers and freezers.

 

Last week I got this email from Mark Tarasawa at First Alternative about the solar / battery system we funded there two years ago:

 

Good morning Dan,

 

Just wanted to let you know that we had a power outage, started at 6pm Tuesday night and didn't come back on until 9am Wednesday morning. The battery backup system worked great for the Annex, it kept the walk in cooler and freezer going all 15 hours with about 45% battery left when the power came back on. We saved all of that product plus more that we were able to stuff in there, plus that was all production for the commissary for the next few days, so we would have been low on product on the shelves instead of able to blast out full production.

 

Thanks!

Mark

-- 

Mark Tarasawa

General Manager

First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op

 

Dan Orzech 
General Manager 
Oregon Clean Power Cooperative 
(610) 650-7755 (c) 
(541) 230-1259 (o)
d...@oregoncleanpower.coop

To keep up with our news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/EATCorvallis/B8A7408D-35A2-407F-8E80-457C4AFD3E8F%40oregoncleanpower.coop.

[Shawn Tucker]

That's amazing news from the co-op.

While we don't have batteries for our home, my father-in-law has gone all in with option 1. He saw us go solar, then EV, and initially was quite skeptical, but over the years seeing our power bills (or lack thereof) and how we've been able to drive fully electric for over 3.5 years, this last year he went all in. He got a Chevy Equinox EV, solar panels, and a bunch of jackery batteries. He has his refrigerator, TV, computer, lights... nearly everything that has a phantom draw, plugged into the batteries, and has them on timers so that before the time-of-use goes to the higher rate the batteries go off grid and power his devices until after the rate drops. He then charges the batteries up overnight or during the day when he's producing solar. 

For us, I'd love to have the home integration system from Ford to be able to run our house off our truck, but the exorbitant cost of the system prevents us from doing so. All in it's about $10,000 to get it purchased and set up, but it would allow us to run our home off our truck for the better part of a week or more, depending on power usage.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/EATCorvallis/B8A7408D-35A2-407F-8E80-457C4AFD3E8F%40oregoncleanpower.coop.

[Kate Hickok Feldman]

I hope that story will be told at the Town Hall!

Kate 

On Feb 23, 2026, at 11:31, ami...@willamettewatershed.com wrote:



Wow! Thank you, Dan, for sharing this great testimonial – and thanks to Mark Tarasawa for taking the time to email you about the amazing benefit of this Solarize Corvallis project.

 

From: eatcor...@googlegroups.com <eatcor...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Dan Orzech
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2026 10:03 AM
To: eatcor...@googlegroups.com
Cc: Gabriel Juul <ga...@oregoncleanpower.coop>
Subject: First Alternative (Re: Battery Backup Summary)

 

Thanks for putting this together Court.

 

Some of you may remember that Southtown had a power outage in 2017 for the better part of a week. First Alternative Co-op had to throw out $30,000 worth of food from their coolers and freezers.

 

Last week I got this email from Mark Tarasawa at First Alternative about the solar / battery system we funded there two years ago:

 

Good morning Dan,

 

Just wanted to let you know that we had a power outage, started at 6pm Tuesday night and didn't come back on until 9am Wednesday morning. The battery backup system worked great for the Annex, it kept the walk in cooler and freezer going all 15 hours with about 45% battery left when the power came back on. We saved all of that product plus more that we were able to stuff in there, plus that was all production for the commissary for the next few days, so we would have been low on product on the shelves instead of able to blast out full production.

 

Thanks!

Mark

-- 

Mark Tarasawa

General Manager

First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op

 

Dan Orzech 
General Manager 
Oregon Clean Power Cooperative 
(610) 650-7755 (c) 
(541) 230-1259 (o)
d...@oregoncleanpower.coop

To keep up with our news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/EATCorvallis/150b01dca4f2%249cfdc570%24d6f95050%24%40willamettewatershed.com.

[Brian & Gretchen Houchin]

Hi Court and Energy Action Team,

Thank you for putting this summary together — it’s incredibly helpful to see the options laid out so clearly. And Dan, the First Alternative story is a powerful reminder of what resilience really looks like in practice. After last week’s outage here in South Corvallis, it felt especially real.

From our perspective as local contractors and South Corvallis neighbors, we’re seeing a noticeable increase in homeowner interest in backup power — not from fear, but from a desire for resilience, food security, medical reliability, and climate preparedness.

At Peak, we’ve been researching current battery backup options and market trends, and we’re very interested in getting our feet wet locally by installing a battery backup system in collaboration with a community-focused project like the Co-op. We would be happy to donate our labor to support a demonstration or resilience project that could help our community learn what works in real-world conditions.

We’re also very interested in hearing people’s real-world experience with different products — what has performed well, what hasn’t, and what surprised you after installation.

From the electrical and system integration side, a few things we’re paying close attention to include:

• Load management & prioritization — deciding what truly needs backup power
• Power output vs. storage capacity — ensuring systems can start motors and HVAC loads
• Smart panel integration & energy management
• Interconnection & permitting complexity
• Battery chemistry & thermal safety
• Serviceability & long-term support
• Cold weather performance
• Cost vs. resilience value for households vs. community facilities

As electricians working in the sustainability field, we’re especially curious:

👉 What should installers and communities know before investing?
👉 Which systems have proven most user-friendly over time?
👉 What maintenance realities have emerged?
👉 How do these systems perform during multi-day outages and winter conditions?

Battery storage feels like it is moving from early adoption toward practical resilience infrastructure, and we’re eager to help our community learn and prepare thoughtfully.

We appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and insights.  We also look forward to hearing more about this at the Town Hall!

Warmly,
Gretchen & Brian
Peak Heat Pumps & Electric
South Corvallis neighbors & CSC Members

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/EATCorvallis/D8C5DB67-E781-4005-B12D-58D0C6C929FF%40yahoo.com.

--

Brian & Gretchen Houchin

       

CCB: 236708          

Cell: 541-602-7413

Leave a Review Here

[ami...@willamettewatershed.com]

Hi, Brian and Gretchen,

 

Thank you for your thoughtful email and your generous offer! Once I read your email, I started thinking about nonprofits that are public facing that could benefit from having solar with battery backup. I say “public facing” because it would be important for this to be a demonstration project that could be visible to community members.

 

I’d love to hear what others think of your offer – and also who might have answers to your questions.

 

Annette



 

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Brian & Gretchen Houchin

 

       

CCB: 236708          

Cell: 541-602-7413

Leave a Review Here

--

——————
Energy Action Team | Corvallis Sustainability Coalition
 
VISION: Corvallis has achieved energy security and net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
 
sustainablecorvallis.org/what-we-do/action-teams/energy
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