Batteries, fried eggs, and the clean energy future
Over the past few years, I've become interested in energy storage and specifically, how to integrate it into homes at scale. Batteries move energy around in time and that is key for reducing the strain on the grid as we accelerate the transition to sustainable energy. So perhaps every home should have one?
In this post, I explore the current state of home electrification, the critical role of batteries in scaling renewables, and why battery-integrated appliances are the missing piece that brings it all together.
Flattening the duck curve
We’ve made significant progress in generating electricity using renewable sources (sadly, the opposite is true with nuclear). In 2024, the US installed a record-breaking 50 GW of solar capacity, bringing the total capacity to 239 GW. That same year, California generated 56,000 GWh with solar (~ 50% of which residential), which accounted for roughly 31% of California’s total electricity generation.
However, relying on intermittent, weather-dependent energy sources has its challenges. When the sun shines and production peaks, the demand for electricity is relatively low. The demand is highest when we wake up, and when we come back home after work. To make up for the gap, we rely on solutions such as natural gas-powered peaker plants. We also end up wasting a lot of that clean power through curtailment when we overproduce.
The mismatch between when we generate clean power and when we consume it is best visualized by the duck curve. The midday dip keeps getting deeper - that’s more solar coming online. Source: EIA
That’s where batteries come in. They store the excess energy during the day, then release it in the evening, helping smooth out the curve. With time-of-use rates becoming more common, batteries also unlock an arbitrage opportunity - charging when electricity is cheap and using the stored energy when it’s expensive - reducing your utility bill.
The good news: Just like solar, which dropped in cost by an order of magnitude over the past two decades, battery prices have also dropped significantly. One of the biggest reasons? The second-order effects of increased EV adoption - economies of scale, improvements in battery technology, new chemistries, and gains in density.
The bad news: While batteries got cheaper, installation remains costly—you still need to hire an electrician, deal with permits, and likely upgrade your electric panel. And if you live in an apartment, condo, or townhouse, you’re mostly out of luck.
A photo from my visit of the Tesla Fremont factory back in 2013, when the Model S battery pack cost an estimated $200–$300 per kWh. Today, the LFP pack in the Model 3 costs less than $100 per kWh — with fewer rare metals, longer cycle life, and improved thermal safety.
As more homes install batteries, they don’t just store energy in isolation, they become part of distributed energy resources (DER) that utilities and grid operators can tap into. Combined with other energy assets like EVs and smart thermostats, they could form what’s called Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), which aggregate the capacity of such devices and instruct them to charge/discharge in sync during peak times (”demand response”).
Enter Impulse
Cooking appliances have only seen incremental improvements over the past decades, creating a prime opportunity to redefine performance and efficiency as everything goes electric. So Impulse developed the most powerful and precise stove ever. It’s also the most delightful hardware product I have used in a long time.
Magnetic knobs replace the typical touch buttons to replicate the gas stove UX, also making the surface easy to clean. Each “burner” has an LED ring that indicates the heat level, providing direct feedback similar to the visual cue of a gas flame.
Impulse Cooktop has an integrated 3 kWh LFP battery pack (for context, that's around 1/4 of a Powerwall) that allows it to push 10 kW of power into every single burner. Its bi-directional inverter charges the battery and, in the future, could send energy back to the home or grid.
Finally, Impulse developed one-of-a-kind temperature sensor that allows for a precise, degree-level control. The stove also automatically adjusts power to stay at the set temperature when conditions change (e.g. when you add cold ingredients in the pan).
How does this all translate into the user experience?
- Boil 1 liter of tap-cold water in 40 seconds
- Fry an egg at 315 F on a stainless steel pan without sticking
- Store energy when it's cheap, clean, and abundant, use it whenever you want, even during an outage
It’s not “smart” in the usual appliance-lingo sense, it is not “powered by AI”, nor there is an app (or proprietary pans) required for it to work. It’s an everyday tool that’s incredibly powerful, is a delight to use and designed to support the grid.
Stating the obvious, but induction is a no-brainer when it comes to health. I love to cook for my family, but I hate that I’m combusting fuel in my apartment and releasing nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde into the air. As someone who grew up with periodic asthma attacks, it feels especially risky.
Integrating batteries into appliances
...solves a number of problems. An induction stove draws a lot of power only for a fraction of time (e.g. when you need to get water to boil), but the average power consumption is rather low (e.g when you simmer). For historical reasons, most American homes only have 120 V wall outlets, with main electrical panels rated at around 100 - 150 A for the entire house. When you do the math, that’s simply not enough to support a typical 240 V induction stove, which alone requires 40 - 50 A. And it’s definitely not enough if you want to install a heat pump, EV charger, and more. To replace a gas stove with induction, not only you have to upgrade your panel, you also need to run a new, dedicated 240 V (40 - 50 A) circuit directly to your kitchen. Both are very expensive (permits, licensed electrician) and time-consuming (utility).
A battery integrated into an appliance supplements the required power (Impulse is rated at 12.5 A on 120 V and 8.3 A on 240 V), so you can skip the upgrades and just plug into a standard wall outlet. This is a big deal — 30% of US homes have gas stoves and many still rely on natural gas for heating and water heating. Easy-to-install electric appliances remove a major barrier to electrification and help reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
For safety, the battery uses LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry, which has higher resistance to thermal runaway compared to li-ion chemistries. The stove, battery pack, and key internal components comply with all relevant UL standards.
Ok, that makes sense for the US where you also need to get homes off gas, but in Europe, induction is quite common.
Yes, that is true.
For a number of reasons — including a more modern grid and push for efficiency due to higher energy prices — Europe has been embracing induction cooking for years. Having 230 V outlets helps — higher voltage allows appliances to draw less current for the same power consumption and thinner wiring.
While induction is far more efficient in energy transfer than gas or electric radiant alternatives, the UX is pretty mediocre. One reason people love cooking on gas is the direct control of temperature (flame) by turning the knob. Compare that to tapping on a glass to select a warming level from 1 to 9, with no real understanding of what temperature or power levels they map to. Staying below the smoke point of your favorite oil, or nailing the first pancake, are close to impossible.
And of course, the key is the battery. Recent changes to electrical code in countries like Germany have made it easier for homeowners to install both solar and battery - an example of a very good climate policy which makes electrification easier. Or take Japan, a country with a dual-frequency grid, compact kitchen requirements, and strong focus on energy resilience. Impulse’s modular battery and power electronics platform makes a very compelling solution there.
Historical reasons behind different electrical standards are fascinating. In short: The US standardized on 120 V outlets early on, largely influenced by Edison’s incandescent bulb, which had high resistance and ran efficiently at lower voltages (~110 V). Europe’s electrification journey began slightly later and the region had benefited from advancements like metal-filament lamps that could operate at higher voltages
Powered by Impulse
As appliances evolved, they started taking inspiration from consumer electronics, with the goal to make them “smart” — ovens with a touch screen, fridges with wifi, or a washing machine that uses deep learning to wash your laundry (yes). Whether they actually succeeded is debatable, but I’d argue that today’s appliances don’t improve our daily lives significantly more than those from 5, 10, or even 20 years ago.
To build the best stove, Impulse took a radically different approach from appliance OEMs, which typically rely on the same off-the-shelf components. Designing the architecture around a battery required rethinking how power is managed and delivered, and Impulse had to develop its own power electronics and other components from the ground up.
The induction coils require high-voltage, high-frequency AC power to generate the magnetic field that heats up a pan. An inverter converts power from a battery (DC) or from the wall (AC) into the exact kind of high-frequency AC needed, in real-time. Impulse’s inverter is bi-directional, meaning it has the ability to share the stored energy in the battery with the rest of the home.
The driver pushes the exact amount of current through the coils to deliver consistent heat. The microcontrollers coordinate everything — they interpret user input (e.g., from knobs or the UI), monitor real-time sensor data (like pan temperature and power draw), and send commands to the driver and inverter to adjust coil output on the fly.
There is the one-of-a-kind temperature sensor, that allows degree-level, and constant, precision control, which also acts as another safety layer.
Power electronics are the circuits that control how electricity is converted and delivered, using high-performance semiconductors to switch and regulate power efficiently (AC to DC, high to low voltage). They’ve become dramatically smaller, smarter, and more efficient in recent years — enabling breakthroughs in EVs, solar, and also appliances.
This deserves a post of its own, but none of these components would function without custom-developed firmware and software that the user interacts with (which improves with OTA updates). And tying it all together is a software layer that will intelligently coordinate every Impulse appliance, the home, and the grid, enabling Impulse to manage the battery fleet and offer grid services in the future.
The platform Impulse built is modular, allowing any appliance or light industrial machine manufacturer to integrate it into their products and deliver a step-change in performance and efficiency.
Think of any residential and commercial appliances that have high peak draw and low average draw, for both residential and commercial use. Source: Impulse
Millions of peaker power plants at the edge of the grid
As we electrify everything, we’re also investing heavily into renewable energy, so the rising electricity demand doesn’t lead to increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere. But this transition comes with multiple challenges, from the intermittent nature of solar and supply/demand mismatch, to an aging, overloaded grid infrastructure.
Batteries offer a solution, helping smooth the demand curve and relieve the pressure on the grid. They are also becoming cheaper, safer and cleaner. While centralized home battery systems are part of the answer, their adoption is often limited by cost, space, and installation complexity.
Meanwhile, we upgrade appliances every few years. If those appliances came with integrated batteries, we could significantly expand distributed energy storage without changing our behavior - or rewiring our homes. We would accelerate the shift to clean energy, and in the process, make appliances really powerful and fun to use.
MS
To learn more about Impulse, check out CEO Sam D’Amico talking about the master plan and the company blog by Lyn Stoller.