We developed the vision for a game-changing solar-battery power system ten years ago. It soon got a name, PowerBloc®.

The PowerBloc was named after power modules, or “blocs,” that can be stacked. But anyone can stack something: boxes, bricks, and even batteries.

What made the blocs so groundbreaking is that blocs could configure any type of system. More solar? No problem. More batteries? Any time. More inverter power? Sure.

The PowerBloc can expand and reconfigure easily and almost without limits. The order of the blocs in the stack does not matter. The PowerBloc requires no special training to assemble and operate. It is cheaper to manufacture, warehouse, and service. It is a killer app for decentralized power.

The first concept of the stackable PowerBloc in 2016. One of the drawbacks of the design was the separate connectors. It took many iterations to arrive at a system with no loose connectors.

The ease and versatility of the stackable modules are possible with our proprietary parallel direct current nanogrid based on the emerging 380 V DC standard.

Most of the power electronics did not exist. So we built them. There were no controls, no software. So, we created and wrote them.

For the stackable modules, we were frustrated because the batteries to achieve the high efficiencies at the weight and form factor we needed exceeded anything the industry could offer. However, the recent quick and successful development of a 100 V battery with a competent Chinese partner showed that the battery we demanded is now within reach.

We are now developing the battery we always wanted and needed for the stackable PowerBloc. We expect to have the prototype in early Q2. Stay tuned.

The first stackable PowerBloc prototype from 2020. After years of working with connector manufacturers and going through countless designs, we arrived at an interlocking design that was easy to assemble, cost-effective, and strong.

The story of the PowerBloc is a story of grit, sticking with your vision, and not accepting No for an answer. It was always clear that we needed stackable modules to make the impact we wanted in the world and to build YouSolar into a global powerhouse.

Grit is the fairy dust of innovation. We cannot wait to reveal more of the new battery design as we make progress over the next months.