alt Hacker News> Create a battery birthday club. Buy each friend a battery on their birthday until everyone has one.
At that point, wouldn't it be easier if everyone just bought their own? And then whoever has the latest birthday doesn't have to wait a year to get theirs.
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But then you still have to buy birthday presents on top of that
I've heard of people doing this kind of rotating "Everyone pays $X in each week/month, a different person decides how to spend it each week/month" thing. It's mostly for building social connection/community.
Think about it like a secret santa with a $20 limit - wouldn't it be more efficient for everyone to just do what they want with $20? You're "purchasing" time and connection with friends.
That's step one, next is your friends.
No. This is how building societies work.
You may not have £100,000 but if you get 1000 people with £100 then you can buy a house.
Obviously the birthday system doesnt address the interest, but I'm sure your friends would be ok paying interest right?
It's just fantastically naive on so many levels.
It is like an energy storage cost cutting rotating potluck. blitzar mentions bulk buying in a comment, which is a great idea to drive down cost. Not sure what the EU version of that looks like, the US versions are:
https://solarunitedneighbors.org/
Europe has quote a bit of renewable generation currently that is curtailing or otherwise going unused, and needs all of the battery energy storage it can get (residential, commercial, utility scale) to convert curtailment into realized clean energy offsetting potential fossil energy usage (gas and coal).
Solar Power Is So Big in Europe That Electricity Is Being Wasted - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-13/europe-so... | https://archive.today/nAdiA - May 12th, 2026
> Hundreds of millions of solar panels have been installed in Europe, turning solar into the region's biggest source of power during summer months, but the system around it hasn't kept up. A record amount of electricity is being wasted because grids can't handle the surge in output, with about 40 terawatt-hours of electricity expected to go to waste in the coming months. The glut of solar power is pushing power prices deep below zero during peak solar hours, eroding returns for producers and forcing them to shut down plants, with consumers potentially paying twice for the subsidies and compensation.
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I think the point is that breaking it up makes the cost more palatable. It's also easier to convince people to spend a bit of money for people they care about than a bunch for themselves that they don't strictly need. People also often struggle to think of gift ideas for birthdays.