5 Features We Love About FranklinWH's New aPower 2 Battery

FranklinWH burst onto the renewable energy scene in 2022 with the launch of their powerful aPower X energy storage system (ESS). Their introduction to the market was well timed, specifically for Florida consumers, as the Sunshine State was set to be ravaged by four devastating hurricanes - Ian, Idalia, Helene, and Milton - between 2022 - 2024. The use case of their products was immediately tested by floodwaters and lengthy power outages in various regions throughout Florida, most notably documented in a featured testimonial from a customer in Fort Myers, FL after Hurricane Ian.

Three years later, they have debuted an even more impressive home battery in the second generation of their product line: the aPower 2. Our first shipment of these units hit our warehouse in early March, with our first few projects already underway. The aPower X has been our most successful battery product in the last three years, and we're even more excited about the aPower 2. Here are five upgrades that stand out to us an installer:

Increased Storage Capacity

While the aPower X had an impressive storage capacity of 13.6 kWh, the aPower 2 boasts an even higher battery reserve of 15 kWh per unit. This additional 1,400 Wh / 1.4 kWh per battery can make a notable difference for someone trying to get through a long power outage, and it scales at a faster rate when stacking multiple batteries (up to 15 units or 225kWh of capacity). This difference in capacity translates to about one extra hour of cooling from a portable plug-in air conditioner, roughly 22 hours of charging a laptop, or approximately 280 hours of charging a cell phone.

Higher Power Output

Another impressive Gen-1 feature that got a massive upgrade in the second generation is deliverable power. The aPower 2 can output 10kW of continuous power - a 2x increase from the first-generation aPower X (5kW). Peak power also received a bump, with the new unit being advertised as powerful enough to cold start up to a 5-ton air conditioner. The upgraded power output may very well be the difference between powering an entire house versus only supplying enough continuous backup power to cover some household essentials.

Faster Charge Rate + Improved Solar PV Functionality

At an 8kW charge rate, the aPower 2 takes just under 2 hours to fully charge when being supplied with the maximum power input. A common complaint with the aPower X was how it cooperated with solar PV systems in off-grid scenarios, where the system could only regulate solar energy production when the battery was charging. In other words, once the batteries were fully charged, solar power generation was turned off until the battery capacity got low enough to receive new power input. This is no longer the case, as the aPower 2 system can now push solar power directly into the home, regardless of whether or not the battery is being charged or discharging. This means less power interruptions during a grid outage, stackable power delivery with the assistance of live PV production, and ultimately a longer duration of energy resilience as a result of these lesser constraints on how the solar PV system can operate in conjunction with the ESS.

Enhanced Cooling Mechanics

Cooling fans are a thing of the past with the aPower 2 as they introduce a completely revamped convection cooling system. Fans are a common point of failure across many different types of electronics, and can often be the noisiest point of operation. Eliminating the aPower X's three fans leads to quieter operation (as low as 30db), a more durable long-term solution, and improved safety even in the most extreme climates (-4°F - 122°F). The operational efficiency of the system also benefits, eliminating the need for energy input to power the fans through the new passive cooling, and better insulating the internal battery cells to help maintain the energy that is being stored and discharged by the system.

Warranty

In addition to the improved product specifications across the board, FranklinWH is further reinforcing confidence in their second aPower iteration with an improved warranty. At 15 years or 60MWh throughput, this product warranty covers roughly 10,000 cycles. With only six (6) RMAs across their first 5,000 deployments of the aPower X, warranty claims were rare to begin with, but now customers can rest assured with a longer warranty term than leading competitors that usually range between 10 - 12 years.

We're seeing an increased demand of ESS attachment across residential solar projects in our hometown of Tampa, FL, and throughout Central and South Florida, following the challenging hurricane seasons in recent years. We're a proud partner and Certified Installer of FranklinWH products, and we're forecasting more units being installed this year than the previous three years combined. With hurricane season rapidly approaching again, coupled with another year of utility rate increases, now is a great time to begin planning your renewable energy project.

For more information, you can get in touch with us here, or give us a call at 813-565-1443 extension 1.