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The Power Sonic Pulse: Frequently Asked Questions

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12 Jul, 2024

This post was originally published on Power Sonic

Q: What chemistry of lithium is used?

A: The Power Sonic Pulse uses LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate), one of the safest lithium chemistries on the market.

Q: What system do I need? Whole Home or All-In-One?

A: The All-In-One system is designed for off-grid or critical circuit applications. It has a single-phase 120-volt, 5000-watt inverter and an energy storage capacity range from 5 to 15 kWh. It is the right choice for users looking for uninterrupted power for essential appliances, life support equipment, or off-grid dwellings.

The Whole Home system is designed for residential and light commercial applications, specifically split-phase 240-volt, 200-amp services. It has an energy storage capacity range of 15 to 75 kWh, an automatic transfer switch, and a 12000-watt hybrid inverter. It is best deployed in applications where users seek a comprehensive energy solution combining grid, solar, and battery power.

Q: What is the design life of the systems?

A: The Pulse ESS batteries have a design life of 6000 cycles at 80% Depth of Discharge. This is over 15 years under daily cyclic conditions.

Q: Do you need solar?

A: Both the All-In-One and the Whole Home systems can be operated with or without solar.

PULSE All-In-One

Image 1: The Power Sonic Pulse All-In-One

Q: What is the Pulse All-In-One system used for?

A: The All-In-One system is used to provide backup power to critical circuits in the event of a power outage. For example, if you live in a city that frequently faces brownouts or blackouts, the system will ensure the seamless operation of medical devices, refrigerators, freezers, or other essential appliances.  It can also be used in off-grid applications like cabins or RVs where there is no connection to the grid, storing solar or other renewable energy for use between resource availability.

Q: Can you power the All-In-One system with a generator?

A: The All-In-One system can be powered by a generator. This is particularly advantageous in off-grid applications where there is no connection to the main grid.

Q: How many appliances can I power?

A: The number of appliances you can power depends on how you scale your system and the power requirements of your appliances.

• A single battery boasts a 5.12 kWh energy capacity, sufficient to power a fridge and a freezer for approximately 12 hours or one of those appliances for a full day.

• Two batteries combined offer a 10.24 kWh energy capacity. For instance, this setup could sustain a fridge, freezer, desktop computer, and TV for about 12 hours.

• Three batteries provide a total energy capacity of 15.36 kWh, enabling the operation of a portable air conditioner for up to 10 hours.

Q: How does the system work without solar?

A: If no solar is available the system will charge from the grid and provide power when the grid is unavailable.

Diagram 1: The Power Sonic Pulse All-In-One Without Solar

Q: How does the system work with solar?

A: The system can be set up to exclusively charge the battery using solar power, operate on battery power when solar energy is unavailable, and switch to grid power only when the batteries have been depleted.

Diagram 2: The Power Sonic Pulse All-In-One With Solar

INSTALLATION

Q: Is the All-In-One system installed indoors or outdoors?

A: The All-In-One system is installed indoors.

Q: Where is the All-In-One system installed?

A: The All-In-One system is wired between your main service breaker panel and the critical circuits of your choosing.

Q: Do I need a professional installer?

A: A professional installer is recommended, but not required.

Q: Does the system require any maintenance?

A: No maintenance is required.

SCALING YOUR SYSTEM

Q: How many batteries do I need?

To determine the number of batteries you need, follow these steps:

  1. Calculate Power Demands: Add up the power requirements of all the circuits you want to power. This will give you the total watts needed.
  2. Determine Standby Duration: Decide how long you want the standby power to last in hours.
  3. Calculate Watt-Hours: Multiply the total watts needed by the duration in hours. This gives you the total watt-hour (Wh) requirements.
  4. Select Battery Combination: Choose the closest matching battery combination from the available options. For example, the Pulse AIO batteries are available in 5 kWh, 10 kWh, and 15 kWh increments.

Example: Imagine you have 2 critical circuits, each requiring 15 amps, and you want them to run for 2 hours.

  • Power requirement: 2 circuits x 15 amps x 2 hours = 60 amp-hours
  • Convert to watt-hours: 60 amp-hours x 120 volts (standard AC outlet) = 7200 watt-hours (7.2 kWh)

Based on this calculation, you would select a battery combination that can provide at least 7.2 kWh.

For assistance, please contact Power Sonic’s customer service at Customer-Service@Power-Sonic.com.

Q: What is the maximum number of batteries that can be added?

A: The system is scalable with up to 3 batteries equaling a max capacity of 15 kWh.

Q: When would you need more than one inverter?

A: You would need more than one inverter if you have more than 5000 Watts of power requirements.

PULSE Whole Home

Image 2: The Power Sonic Pulse Whole Home

Q: What is the Pulse Whole home system used for?

A: Pulse Whole Home is utilized to allow the user to never be without power in the face of an outage. It can also be used as a means of smart energy consumption. It allows you to take advantage of solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources to reduce your dependence on the grid and achieve energy savings through methods like peak shaving and power shifting.

Q: How many days will the Whole Home system power my house?

A: At the max capacity of 75 kWh, the system will provide power to an average home for about 3 days.

Q: Can you sell surplus energy back to the grid? Will it happen automatically?

A: Excess energy will automatically be sold back to the grid during user-defined times of day.

Q: How does the system work without solar?

A: If solar power isn’t available, the system will charge from the grid and supply power during grid outages.

Diagram 3: The Power Sonic Pulse Whole Home Without Solar

Q: How does the system work with solar?

A: The system can be configured to charge solely from solar power, run on battery power when solar energy isn’t available, and revert to grid power only when the batteries are exhausted.

Diagram 4: The Power Sonic Pulse Whole Home With Solar

INSTALLATION

Q: Is the Whole Home installed indoors or outdoors?

A: The Whole Home inverter is IP65-rated and can be installed outdoors next to your main breaker panel. The Whole Home batteries are designed to be deployed indoors away from harsh elements to extend useful life.

Q: Where is the Whole Home system installed?

A: The Whole Home system is wired between your energy provider’s meter and your main breaker panel.

Q: Do I need a professional installer?

A: Yes, you will need a professional installer.

Q: Does the system require maintenance?

A: No, the system does not require maintenance.

SCALING YOUR SYSTEM

Q: How do I know how many batteries I need?

A: To determine how many batteries you will need, it is best practice to evaluate your previous electrical bills. This will provide you with a summary of your home’s average energy consumption. From there, you can scale your system to fit accordingly. For assistance, please contact Power Sonic’s customer service at Customer-Service@Power-Sonic.com.

Q: What is the maximum number of batteries that can be added?

A: The system is scalable up to 15 batteries per inverter, equaling a max capacity of 75 kWh.

Q: When would you need more than one inverter?

A: You would need more than one inverter if you have more than 12000 watts of power requirements or if you are trying to deploy the system in a 3-phase application.

For more information about the Power Sonic Pulse, visit our website.

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Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

Taking the electronic pulse of the circular economy

In June, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 E-Waste World, Battery Recycling, Metal Recycling, and ITAD & Circular Electronics Conference & Expo events in Frankfurt, Germany.

Speaking in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track on a panel with global Circular Economy leaders from Foxway Group, ERI and HP, we explored the evolving role of IT asset disposition (ITAD) and opportunities in the circular electronics economy.

The event’s focus on advancing circular economy goals and reducing environmental impact delivered a series of insights and learnings. From this assembly of international expertise across 75+ countries, here are some points from the presentations that stood out for me:

1. Environmental impact of the digital economy

Digitalisation has a heavy material footprint in the production phase, and lifecycle thinking needs to guide every product decision. Consider that 81% of the energy a laptop uses in its lifetime is consumed during manufacture (1 tonne in manufacture is equal to 10,000 tonnes of CO2) and laptops are typically refreshed or replaced by companies every 3–4 years.

From 2018 to 2023, the average number of devices and connections per capita in the world increased by 50% (2.4 to 3.6). In North America (8.2 to 13.4) and Western Europe (5.6 to 9.4), this almost doubled. In 1960, only 10 periodic table elements were used to make phones. In 1990, 27 elements were used and now over 60 elements are used to build the smartphones that we have become so reliant on.

A key challenge is that low-carbon and digital technologies largely compete for the same minerals. Material resource extraction could increase 60% between 2020 and 2060, while demand for lithium, cobalt and graphite is expected to rise by 500% until 2050.

High growth in ICT demand and Internet requires more attention to the environmental footprint of the digital economy. Energy consumption of data centres is expected to more than double by 2026. The electronics industry accounts for over 4% of global GHG — and digitalisation-related waste is growing, with skewed impacts on developing countries.

E-waste is rising five times faster than recycling — 1 tonne of e-waste has a carbon footprint of 2 tonnes. Today’s solution? ‘Bury it or burn it.’ In terms of spent emissions, waste and the costs associated with end-of-life liabilities, PCBAs (printed circuit board assembly) cost us enormously — they generally achieve 3–5% recyclability (75% of CO2 in PCBAs is from components).

2. Regulating circularity in electronics

There is good momentum across jurisdictions in right-to-repair, design and labelling regulations; recycling targets; and voluntary frameworks on circularity and eco-design.

The EU is at the forefront. EU legislation is lifting the ICT aftermarket, providing new opportunities for IT asset disposition (ITAD) businesses. To get a sense, the global market for electronics recycling is estimated to grow from $37 billion to $108 billion (2022–2030). The value of refurbished electronics is estimated to increase from $85.9 billion to $262.2 billion (2022–2032). Strikingly, 40% of companies do not have a formal ITAD strategy in place.

Significantly, the EU is rethinking its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management targets, aligned with upcoming circularity and WEEE legislation, as part of efforts to foster the circular economy. A more robust and realistic circularity-driven approach to setting collection targets would better reflect various factors including long lifespans of electronic products and market fluctuations.

Australia and New Zealand lag the EU’s comprehensive e-waste mandated frameworks. The lack of a systematic approach results in environmental degradation and missed positioning opportunities for businesses in the circular economy. While Australia’s Senate inquiry into waste reduction and recycling recommended legislating a full circular economy framework — including for imported and local product design, financial incentives and regulatory enforcement, New Zealand remains the only OECD country without a national scheme to manage e-waste.

3. Extending product lifecycles

Along with data security and digital tools, reuse was a key theme in the ITAD & Circular Electronics track of the conference. The sustainable tech company that I lead, Greenbox, recognises that reuse is the simplest circular strategy. Devices that are still functional undergo refurbishment and are reintroduced into the market, reducing new production need and conserving valuable resources.

Conference presenters highlighted how repair over replacement is being legislated as a right in jurisdictions around the world. Resources are saved, costs are lowered, product life is extended, and people and organisations are empowered to support a greener future. It was pointed out that just 43% of countries have recycling policies, 17% of global waste is formally recycled, and less than 1% of global e-waste is formally repaired and reused.

Right to repair is a rising wave in the circular economy, and legislation is one way that civil society is pushing back on programmed obsolescence. Its global momentum continues at different speeds for different product categories — from the recent EU mandates to multiple US state bills (and some laws) through to repair and reuse steps in India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The European Commission’s Joint Research Commission has done a scoping study to identify product groups under the Ecodesign framework that would be most relevant for implementing an EU-wide product reparability scoring system.

Attending this event with the entire electronic waste recycling supply chain — from peers and partners to suppliers and customers — underscored the importance of sharing best practices to address the environmental challenges that increased hardware proliferation and complex related issues are having on the world.

Ross Thompson is Group CEO of sustainability, data management and technology asset lifecycle management market leader Greenbox. With facilities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Greenbox Group provides customers all over the world a carbon-neutral supply chain for IT equipment to reduce their carbon footprint by actively managing their environmental, social and governance obligations.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mustafa Ovec

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