FAQ's
Smart Panel
Below are some common questions about our Smart Panel.
What makes the Kora Smart Panel different from a traditional electrical panel?
The Kora Smart Panel is designed for dynamic energy management, allowing homeowners to control, monitor, and automate circuit-level power. That means you can control any of the electrical systems in your home from your phone. It can also optimize the sale of your surplus solar or battery energy based on market prices via the Kora App getting you better pricing than just selling to your utility.
Can the Smart Panel integrate with existing solar and battery systems?
It depends. While our system is optimized to work with our hybrid inverter and batteries, the Kora Smart Panel is built to work with some third-party solar inverters, battery systems – including Tesla, Enphase and SunRun.
What happens in a power outage?
The Kora Smart Panel dynamically manages your circuit priorities based on available energy from the grid, solar, or batteries, ensuring that the appliances, lights and other systems in your home remain powered during outages.
What about a peak demand event from the utility?
The Kora Smart Panel can dynamically reduce energy consumption to appliances or parts of your home that you aren’t using during a peak demand event. It can also anticipate peak demand events based on wholesale energy pricing the day prior, and pre-cool or pre-heat your home to help you maximize savings.
What communication protocols does the Smart Panel support?
The Kora Smart Panel supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and wired Ethernet.
Can I control my Smart Panel (and thus my home's electrical systems) remotely through an app?
Yes, the Kora app provides real-time monitoring, remote circuit control, automation scheduling, and energy optimization based on grid conditions or user preferences that can be used from anywhere with an internet connection.
Does the Smart Panel work with Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)?
Absolutely. Kora is preparing to release the first large scale Virtual Power Plant (VPP) which is a software platform that will allow you to sell your excess energy directly to the wholesale markets vs being forced to sell it to your local utility. This will result in more income for you per kWh of energy.
What safety certifications does the Kora Smart Panel have?
It complies with UL 67, UL 869A, UL 916, and NEC Article 705 interconnection standards, ensuring safe operation and utility compliance.
Can the Smart Panel be installed in off-grid homes?
Yes, it supports both grid-tied and off-grid systems, enabling smart energy management even in remote locations.
How does the Smart Panel help lower electricity bills?
By automating energy consumption, the Panel shifts loads (energy) to off-peak hours, prioritizes self-consumption of solar energy, and participates in time-of-use (TOU) optimization.
What is the expected lifespan of the Kora Smart Panel?
With solid-state switching and industrial-grade components, the panel is designed for 30+ years of reliable operation with over-the-air (OTA) software updates for long-term adaptability.
Na-Ion Battery Stack
Below are some common questions about our Na-Ion Battery Stack
What is the Kora Na-Ion Battery Stack, and how does it compare to Li-Ion?
The Na-Ion Battery Stack is a next-generation battery that offers better temperature stability, higher cycle life (>10,000 cycles), and lower environmental impact compared to lithium-ion.
Because of the unique tin anode chemistry used in Kora’s Na-Ion batteries, our batteries have a wider thermal range than a LFP battery, but have the same high cycle count, and no fire or thermal runaway risk.
What storage capacity options are available?
It is available in 6kWh blocks that can be stacked 5 times per inverter and daisy chained across as many as 4 inverters for a maximum system power of 120kWh.
Does the battery require active cooling?
No, the Na-Ion chemistry operates efficiently at a wider temperature range, reducing the need for complex cooling systems.
Can I expand my battery capacity over time?
Yes, the modular design allows users to add additional battery packs as energy needs grow, or use them in other systems like your RV or second home if they aren’t needed.
Is the battery safe from thermal runaway?
Yes, Na-Ion batteries are intrinsically safer than lithium-ion and do not suffer from thermal runaway risks.
How long does it take to charge the battery?
Technically a Kora Na-Ion battery has a 4C charge rating which is 4x faster than a 1C on a LFP battery like a Tesla Powerwall 3. What this means is it can charge 4x as fast, but to improve longevity we recommend not rapid charging it unless you absolutely need to for a storm or other reason. With that in mind, charging times vary, but the Na-Ion stack can fully charge in 2-4 hours, depending on inverter and grid conditions.
Is the battery compatible with my existing solar and inverter setup?
It depends. If you already have a solar inverter like from an old SunPower system, you can replace that solar inverter with a Kora hybrid inverter and manage both your solar, your batteries and your grid connection all from a single inverter.
Can I use the battery for off-grid applications?
Yes, the stack is designed for off-grid and hybrid energy systems, providing reliable storage even without grid access.
What is the expected lifespan of the Na-Ion Battery Stack?
With 10,000+ charge cycles, the battery stack has an expected lifespan of 25-30 years, far exceeding traditional lithium-ion systems.
What warranty does the Na-Ion Battery Stack come with?
The battery comes with a 10-year warranty, ensuring long-term reliability and performance.
Hybrid Inverter
Below are some common questions about our Hybrid Inverter product.
What is the Kora Hybrid Inverter, and how does it work?
The Kora Hybrid Inverter seamlessly manages solar, battery, and grid power to optimize home energy use, providing both grid-tied and off-grid capabilities. It is different from solar inverters that can only manage your solar Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) conversion.
What power capacity options are available?
The inverter has 11.5 kW of total continuous power output, and can be daisy chained for a total of 4 units and 46 kW of continuous power.
The inverter has a peak power output of 30 kW and with 4 of them you can generate a peak power of 120 kW.
Does the inverter support bi-directional charging?
Yes, it supports bi-directional power flow, allowing energy to be exported to the grid or stored in batteries, optimizing time-of-use (TOU) savings.
Can I connect multiple energy sources (solar, battery, generator)?
Yes, by pairing it with the Kora Smart Panel, the Kora Hybrid Inverter supports multi-input energy management, enabling integration with solar panels, battery banks, and backup generators.
Is the inverter compatible with existing battery storage systems?
Yes, it works with Sodium Ion (Na-Ion), Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) ensuring flexible storage integration. The system is optimized for the Kora Na-Ion battery, and that is the recommended battery for it.
How does the inverter handle power outages?
It has seamless islanding capabilities, instantly switching to backup power to keep essential circuits running when the grid goes down.
Does the inverter support EV charging?
Yes, it can directly integrate with Level 2 EV chargers, prioritizing solar or off-peak charging to reduce costs.
What certifications does the Kora Hybrid Inverter have?
It complies with UL 1741 SA, IEEE 1547, and Rule 21 for grid interconnection and safety.
Can I monitor and control the inverter remotely?
Yes, through the Kora app, users can monitor solar production, battery status, and real-time energy flow, and adjust settings remotely.
What is the warranty on the Kora Hybrid Inverter?
The inverter comes with a 10-year warranty.