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By now, we should all be familiar with Biolite, either from their cookstoves, lights, firepits, or perhaps from their portable battery banks. This time around, they’re taking those portable batteries and super-sizing them, turning them into a critical backup system for your important electronics (for instance, refrigerators and home medical equipment). That’s what you have with the BioLite Backup, which is funding on Kickstarter right now.
BioLite Backup: what is it?
At the core of it, the BioLite Backup is a 1.5KWh battery that hangs on the wall, acting as a pass-through for your critical device (say, a fridge), much the same way an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can do for your computer. The trick here is that you can extend the power supply with up to an additional 6 battery packs, netting you 10.5 KWh of stored power. No matter how many you have, they plug into the standard wall outlet. They charge themselves up, and when the power goes out, it immediately switches over to power the plugged-in devices from the stored electrons.
The other interesting thing is how they’ve designed the footprint of the power packs. They’re just 2.8″ thick, so they can be tucked away behind things. They’ve been sealed (to keep dust out) and are designed to work at up to 150 degrees, so the heat from a fridge shouldn’t mess it up. In terms of the other dimensions, the BioLite Backup was designed to sizing that allows a pair of the batteries to easily disappear behind (or on top) of a refrigerator.
Since these batteries are designed to be tucked away, there is an included app (so you can keep an eye on things, and be alerted if the power goes out); they’ve also got an extended power brick you can plug in to maintain access to draw off electrons. If you really want to extend your battery power, they even have a solar panel (with a 30′ cord) so you can harvest the sun to top tunigs off. So, yeah, it does seem like they’ve thought of it all.
Installing the BioLite Backup
They’re claiming a 30-minute install time, which doesn’t seem out of bounds, based on what the video (below) shows. The biggest amount of time is going to be deciding where to install things, and then getting the mounting brackets on the wall.
How to get yours
If the BioLite Backup sounds like something you want for your setup, the fully-funded Kickstarter campaign is running until Friday, October 18, 2024. If you want to just put a deposit down, there’s a pledge tier for $250, with the remaining $1,349 (for the core system) or $2,149 (for Backup Complete) to be paid next year. Alternatively, you can pay $1,299 now for the Core system, or $2,099 for the Backup Complete. Interestingly, if you get the Backup Complete system, there’s another 30% tax credit that you can qualify for. Delivery is anticipated for May 2025. Check out all the details over at kickstarter.com
