Technology The Finnish company will start leasing electrical storage facilities built from used Tesla batteries. “Our goal is to rent about a thousand of these to Finland.”

Renewable energy solutions such as wind power and solar panels have increased grid instability. Control force, such as hydroelectric power and backup power plants, is used to balance the network. Storing electricity in batteries is also one option for smoothing out fluctuations in the supply of electricity on the grid.

A Finnish company called Cactos, founded last year, intends to solve the electricity network balance problem with its own product. It is based on the batteries of used Tesla electric cars.

The idea is to connect several batteries to the mains in a decentralized manner. In a way, it is a decentralized virtual backup power plant that can start up when auxiliary power is needed in the electricity grid.

“Typically, electricity stocks are quite large in capacity,” says Cactos CEO Oskari Jaakkola.

The battery size of the Cactos is one hundred kilowatt hours. It is slightly larger than the Tesla Model S’s 85 kilowatt-hour battery.

Favorable applications for Cactos battery include shops, commercial properties, hotels and offices.

At least for the time being, the batteries will not be sold, but will be rented for a few hundred euros a month.

“We were wondering how we could lower the threshold for acquiring this. The idea is to use as many people as possible, ”says Jaakkola.

According to Jaakkola, the customer is often able to reduce the size of the main fuse in the property. It contributes to savings.

Savings are also promised because the customer does not have to buy electricity online at the most expensive times. According to Jaakkola, typical backup batteries are enough for minutes.

“Our battery is so large that it can be driven to the destination in as little as a few hours.”

For households electricity stocks for sale have been on the market for years. They are traded especially for those who have purchased a solar panel.

However, the Cactos battery pack is not suitable for normal home use. The problem is that the size of the main fuse is too small in almost all home locations.

“Charging and discharge power are 50 kilowatts. It’s a little too stupid for a detached house, ”says Jaakkola.

Used Tesla batteries were selected for the battery pack, partly for environmental reasons.

First, Cactos buys a battery from a decommissioned car. According to Jaakkola, they can be found on the market, for example in Norway. Tesla batteries are also the choice for technical reasons. They come with liquid cooling, unlike the battery of a Nissan Leaf electric car, for example.

The battery is discharged from Muhos in a large disc-shaped case. The individual modules are then used to build an electrical storage inside Cactos’ shelf solution. It is connected to the network via a mobile connection.

Jaakkola states that the other half of their business is software development. For example, a battery can learn from a property’s use of electricity. Thus, it is possible to save money. Charge the battery when electricity is cheap and discharge when it is expensive or high power.

Jaakkola assures that used batteries are safe and meet all requirements like other electrical appliances.

“We have designed exactly at what temperature the battery modules are kept in normal use. Operating temperature has an effect on battery life. ”

And after all, Tesla batteries are designed for heavy use. According to Jaakkola, they are “mechanically robust”, ie made to withstand vibration. Thus, a battery that is stationary in the technical premises of a property is not exposed to the same demanding conditions as in the car for which it was originally designed.

Cactos is planning the first pilots with customers. The electricity storage is scheduled to be in use next summer.

“Our goal is to rent about a thousand of these to Finland.”

Other markets are also binoculars. Jaakkola mentions, among other things, the Netherlands, where a lot of wind power has been built. It increases the need for grid stabilization solutions.

No external funding has been raised. The company has seven founding shareholders who have invested in the company.

“We rely so much on the idea that we go with our own money,” says Jaakkola.