Executive Summary
At Greentech Renewables, we’re committed to building strong partnerships with the renewable energy industry’s most trusted and proven manufacturers that consistently deliver reliable, high-performance solar solutions. The FranklinWH System is an example of a comprehensive home energy management platform engineered for seamless integration across PV, battery storage, EVs, generators, and the grid. In this article, we explore how this innovative technology meets the demands of modern energy independence and resilience. The aPower unit offers a powerful 5 kW charge/discharge rate and 13.6 kWh capacity. This system is built to perform year-round, helping homeowners maintain stability and reduce grid reliance.
Cold temperatures are often considered a challenge for lithium-ion-based batteries due to their impact on device performance. Low temperatures can negatively affect lithium batteries, leading to reduced overall capacity, slower charge rates, increased internal resistance, and other issues. One of the primary causes of this degraded performance is the slowing of intercalation, the process by which lithium ions move into the graphite layers of the anode at these colder temperatures.
To provide thermal reliability in cold weather, FranklinWH has opted for a high-quality silicone rubber pad heater for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) pack heating, often called the heating blanket, bypassing alternative approaches such as cell self-heating. In addition, the thermal mass of the system ensures system and thermal reliability. Each aPower unit comes with an optimized heating blanket built into the battery packs that ensures the system operates effectively within a broad temperature range from –4° F (-20° C) to 122° F (50° C), supporting outdoor installations in harsh environments without sacrificing efficiency. With an IP67 weatherproofing rating, it's fully sealed against dust and protected from water immersion, ensuring reliability to power through the harsh climates.
The aPower 2 is the latest FranklinWH BESS. It has not been through a full winter, so analysis is not yet available. However, given the construction of the unit, including case, cell packs, firmware, and heating units, the expectation is that the results will be similar or better to the following analysis of the aPower. Both aPower and aPower 2 units can be installed indoors or outdoors. Please consult your Greentech Renewables location for more information on installation locations and practices.
High reliability at low temperatures
In certain regions of the United States and Canada, winter temperatures consistently fall below 32° F (0° C) for extended periods, which can negatively impact the performance of lithium-based batteries. The FranklinWH System continuously monitors temperature data through its sensors and adjusts the charging rate to ensure safe and efficient charging. Each aPower unit has battery cell packs embedded with sensors for temperature and voltage. There are 16 sensors for the 16 cells on the aPower. The Battery Management System (BMS) constantly detects every cell’s temperature and voltage in real time to ensure both are within the acceptable optimal limits.
Lithium batteries will have slightly derated charging performance once the temperatures fall below 50° F. More importantly, the aPower equipped with the heating pad minimizes the need for these adjustments by reducing instances of derated charging behavior. The onset of the heating blanket ensures that the cell temperatures remain high and maintain favorable charging behavior. The battery charge/discharge performance will be normal even if the ambient temperature is down to -4° F (-20 °C), provided cell temperature is high enough. FranklinWH is focused on reliable residential BESS installation and energy freedom. Learn more about FranklinWH solutions at your local Greentech Renewables.
