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Energy in Motion: The Realities of Home Batteries and Energy Balancing

On May 15th, I installed a home battery to store solar power and reduce my reliance on the grid. In my previous post /“Green Energy/”, I outlined the reasons for going solar. But now the numbers are in, and the story is more complex than I initially expected. How the System Works Here’s a quick summary of the energy flows: Solar generation: 776.99 kWh 480.00 kWh fed directly to the grid 149.10 kWh used immediately in the home 237.70 kWh stored in the battery After 10.49% storage loss, 183.71 kWh went to the home and 29.04 kWh back to the grid Grid import: 1217.60 kWh 168.00 kWh direct to the home 1049.60 kWh stored in the battery Resulting in 929.30 kWh sent back to the grid during demand peaks Only 10.15 kWh used by the home 📉 Battery Round-Trip Efficiency (RTE): 89.51% ⚠️ Total loss due to storage inefficiency: 135.10 kWh

Thursday, June 26, 2025 Read

Code Is Not Enough: The Human Side of DevOps

In the world of DevOps, we talk a lot about tools, automation, and technical excellence. Pipelines, cloud-native architectures, infrastructure as code. But amidst all that tech, we often forget the most critical component of all: people. Years ago, I worked with a brilliant Java developer. He had a hearing aid, which he switched off every morning as he sat down to code. All day long, he worked in silence—fully focused, fully isolated. At the end of the day, he’d turn the device back on and re-enter the world. It was effective for deep work, but completely disconnected from the team and the business context.

Friday, May 2, 2025 Read

Don’t Switch Off Your Panels — You’re Missing the Point

Lately, I’ve come across more and more people saying they won’t install solar panels — or worse, that they’re switching them off — because of the so-called feed-in penalty. And honestly, that frustrates me. Not because I think everyone must have solar panels. But because this one change — a small adjustment in how feed-in energy is compensated — is being treated as if it wipes out the entire value of going solar. It doesn’t. Not even close.

Monday, April 21, 2025 Read

Still Going Solar: A Personal Case for Energy Independence

During a recent episode of the Bright podcast, someone said it: “Solar panels are becoming something for nerds again.” And you know what? I kind of agree. With net metering being phased out and electricity markets becoming more complex, solar isn’t just plug-and-play anymore. It takes research. Curiosity. A bit of obsession with graphs and peak hours. But rather than that turning me off — it’s exactly why I’m continuing to invest. Over the past few years, I’ve gone from hybrid driving to full electric, installed solar panels in 2023, switched to a dynamic energy contract in 2025, and now I’m adding a home battery to the mix.

Sunday, April 20, 2025 Read

Why Learning Cultures Are the Key to High-Performing Engineering Teams

In today’s fast-moving tech landscape, tools and frameworks evolve at a pace that can leave even the best teams struggling to keep up. But high performance in engineering isn’t just about staying current with technology — it’s about building a culture where learning is embedded into the way teams think, collaborate, and grow. As an Engineering Manager, I’ve seen firsthand how fostering a culture of continuous learning isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s a strategic advantage. In this post, I’ll share what a true learning culture looks like, why it matters, and how you can start building one in your own team.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 Read