As the energy landscape changes, more Australians are looking into new, innovative ways to save on their power bills and reduce their reliance on the grid. And now, with Ausgrid’s looming ‘Sun Tax‘ approaching as of July, , we’re noticing more urgency as more households and businesses look into their solar battery storage options.
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While the benefits of solar batteries are clear, making the right choice can be overwhelming. Here are five essential things you should know before buying a solar battery to ensure you make an informed decision that best suits your needs.
Balance your need for capacity and power rating based on your energy usage patterns.
Before purchasing a solar battery, it’s crucial to understand your household’s energy consumption. Assess your daily energy usage patterns, identify peak usage times, and calculate the total amount of energy you need to store. This will help you choose a battery with the appropriate capacity.
Pro Tip: Check your past electricity bills to determine your average daily and monthly consumption. This will give you a clearer picture of your energy needs.
When choosing a solar battery, two key specifications to consider are capacity and power rating.
Capacity
Capacity, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), indicates the total amount of energy the battery can store. A higher capacity means more stored energy, ideal for households with higher energy needs.
Power Rating
Power rating refers to the amount of energy the battery can deliver at once. A higher power rating allows more appliances to run simultaneously.
Pro Tip: Balance your need for capacity and power rating based on your energy usage patterns. A high-capacity battery with a lower power rating might be sufficient for storing energy for later use, while a high power rating is crucial for running multiple appliances simultaneously.
Look for batteries with a high cycle rating and a comprehensive warranty.
Solar batteries degrade over time, meaning their storage capacity decreases with use. A battery’s lifespan is typically measured in cycles, with one cycle being a full charge and discharge.
Pro Tip: Look for batteries with a high cycle rating and a comprehensive warranty. Most reputable manufacturers offer warranties ranging from 5 to 15 years, guaranteeing a certain percentage of capacity over the warranty period. Investing in a battery with a longer lifespan and better warranty can save you money in the long run.
The initial cost of a solar battery can be significant, but it’s important to consider the long-term financial benefits. A solar battery can reduce your reliance on the grid, lower electricity bills, and increase energy independence.
Research available financial incentives, rebates, and subsidies in your area. Many governments offer programs to offset the initial cost of solar batteries, making them more affordable. Additionally, consider the return on investment (ROI) by calculating potential savings on your electricity bills over the battery’s lifespan.
Not all solar batteries are compatible with every solar system. Ensure your chosen battery integrates seamlessly with your existing solar panels and inverter. This compatibility is crucial for optimal performance and efficiency.
Consult a solar energy expert to help you decide on your solar needs when in doubt. They can provide recommendations and help you choose a battery that works well with your setup and achieves your energy requirements.
A solar battery is a significant investment that can offer substantial benefits, including increased energy independence, reduced electricity bills, and enhanced sustainability.
By understanding your energy needs, considering capacity and power rating, evaluating lifespan and warranty, factoring in costs and incentives, and ensuring system compatibility, you can make a well-informed decision that will serve you for years.
If you’re ready to explore your options and find the perfect solar battery for your home, contact our team of experts today. We’re here to help you every step of the way toward a more sustainable and energy-efficient future.
As electricity costs continue to climb, solar panels are a smart way to tap into free, clean energy from the sun. In fact, a recent CNET survey found that 78% of US adults are worried about rising home energy bills, and 70% are actively taking steps toward energy efficiency. If you’re thinking along the same lines, now might be the right time to explore solar power.
"Something that people don't consider is that if they're on natural gas, and the power goes out in the winter, they think their heater is going to work, but most have an electric fan, so if the power goes out you still need something," said Mike Murphy, owner of Utah-based PrepSOS, which sells solar batteries, generators and other emergency-preparedness equipment.
Installing solar panels and connecting them to the grid can help reduce your monthly bills and cushion costs when the sun isn’t shining. But if you want real energy independence, you’ll need a solar battery. Without one, even a roof full of solar panels won’t help during a grid outage -- you’ll be left in the dark.
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Plenty of folks, including those in a recent Reddit thread, often wonder if solar batteries are worth the investment. The short answer: absolutely. A battery completes your solar setup, giving you access to stored solar energy day or night, keeping your lights on and essential devices powered -- even during emergencies. And if your area supports net metering, you could earn extra savings by selling surplus energy back to the grid when it’s most valuable.
Solar batteries come with a price tag, and choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. That’s where we come in. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to shop smart and find the right solar battery for your home -- your first step toward true energy freedom.
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The simplest way to think of batteries is to imagine that the electricity in your house flows through wires in much the same way as water through plumbing. Batteries fill the role of a storage tank, making electricity readily available when it's needed, just as indoor pressure tanks and water heaters do with water. When batteries are tapped for energy, their reserve of stored electricity is depleted, but in a properly wired system, they can be automatically replenished by "catching" any excess electricity flowing through the system from sources like solar panels or the grid.
Depending on your goals for installing batteries, your system might look a bit different.
1. Connect just to solar panels: Batteries connected only to solar panels will fill when the sun shines and will discharge when you use electricity and the sun is down or behind clouds. It's one option if you are off-grid and away from electrical utilities.
2. Connect to solar panels and to the grid: If you have a solar inverter that can temporarily disconnect you from the grid, you have what's known as a hybrid solar system. In such a system, you can charge your battery with your solar panels or the grid and use the energy stored there in your home or send it back to the grid and save some money via rate arbitrage (if you have time-of-use rates). A hybrid system can also keep your house powered during a power outage.
3. Connect just to the grid: While we wouldn't call them solar batteries, you can install batteries without solar panels at all. They would charge from the grid and would be useful for backup power or for enrolling in a virtual power plant.
The pros and cons of buying a battery largely boil down to savings (and backup power) versus cost.
The extra solar electricity you store in your solar batteries can be used in place of electricity you'd normally have to buy from your utility, or sold back to the grid when it's most valuable. This can save you some money and relieve some pressure on the grid when there's peak demand. (Whether this is a viable money-saving option for you depends on your utility's net metering rules.)
Some companies are starting to allow people to enroll their batteries in virtual power plants, a fleet of batteries, smart thermostats and other household appliances that work together to decrease demand on the grid. Where available, virtual power plants might come with additional perks for the battery owner.
In addition, you'll be able to use your battery bank in the event that the grid goes down due to a failure, natural disaster or even a solar flare. A backup generator can also help keep the power on in an emergency (and charge your batteries), but it requires burning fossil fuels, usually either gas or propane.
Batteries do add considerable expense to your home energy system, but federal tax credits and other incentive programs usually can be applied to the cost of storage.
There are several kinds of batteries used in battery backup systems, including lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. Here's a quick overview.
There are multiple lithium chemistries on the market, including nickel-manganese-cobalt, lithium polymer and lithium iron phosphate. The latest lithium technology comes with less danger of fire than older headlines might lead you to believe. They're capable of a deeper discharge than lead acid batteries (you can use up to 90% of a charge per cycle without inflicting much damage) and are much easier to maintain with a longer lifespan. They're also significantly more expensive and sensitive to temperature. Increasingly, they are becoming standard in residential solar applications.
The basics of this technology are essentially unchanged for over a century. They remain inexpensive and widely available. For solar systems, it's popular to use somewhat more expensive sealed batteries that require less maintenance and eliminate the risk of dealing with a potential acid spill and hydrogen off-gassing. For a while, sealed lead acid seemed to be the future of solar batteries.
However, all lead acid batteries require more careful monitoring of charge levels compared with lithium-ion and can't compete in terms of efficiency, energy and lifespan but are a good and plentiful budget alternative.
Flow batteries (or redox flow batteries) are less common in home systems since they're mainly designed for commercial use. The technology appears promising, and it could become more widely used in residential battery backup systems in the near future.
Nickel-cadmium batteries have a high energy density with double the energy of a lead-acid battery. Nickel-cadmium batteries are very durable, expensive and work well in extreme temperatures making them a good choice for large-scale commercial and industrial projects. Cadmium is toxic and generally not appropriate for residential use.
In general, a solar battery bank can cost between $10,000 to $25,000 for 10 to 25 kilowatt hours of power. (The US Department of Energy says solar batteries can cost anywhere from $12,000 to $22,000.)
That said, it ultimately comes down to your budget and energy needs. A small off-grid solar system with enough battery capacity for the basics (no air conditioning or electric heaters allowed) using a pair of high-capacity flooded lead acid batteries can be had for $500 total. Upgrading to lithium-ion costs $1,300 for a system with comparable capacity.
Adding batteries is a significant expense for any system, but the good news is that nearly a third will come back to you in the form of the 30% federal renewable energy tax credit. Other incentives may also be available from state and local governments, utilities, and even credit unions.
It's best to use a certified solar installer or electrician to install your solar batteries and connect them to your solar array, your home, the grid and an EV charger if you desire. You should expect to spend a few thousand dollars for the labor involved, and there may be additional components like inverters, charge controllers and EV charge stations that can also add hundreds or thousands of dollars in expense.
If you have confidence in your DIY skills and experience with electricity, it is possible to install batteries yourself. Just be sure to check with local regulations, building codes and equipment warranties.
If you go the DIY route, make sure all batteries are the same age (ideally new). Don't mix new batteries with older ones to help make sure they charge evenly.
For all batteries, follow any manufacturers' instructions regarding monitoring the depth of discharge. Generally, for lead acid batteries, this means trying to keep them over half charged as much as possible. Many lithium-ion batteries can safely be taken down to only 10% charge. Flooded lead-acid batteries also need to be topped off with distilled water a few times a year.
A few years after installation, you may notice that your battery backup system doesn't hold a charge as well as it used to. That's because, like other types of batteries, battery backups lose storage capacity over time.
To account for this, battery backups include a warranty that expresses how efficient the battery should be by the end of the warranty period. Many of the top solar batteries offer 10 years and 70%, meaning that by the end of the 10-year warranty, the battery should still operate at 70% of its original performance. Lead acid battery warranties typically last for two to five years.
Inverters play an important role in how the battery stores and converts solar energy. While solar panels generate electricity in direct current, the electric grid and homes generally use alternating current. An inverter can convert AC to DC or vice versa, and most solar batteries include an inverter to store the energy in DC form, as well as an inverter to convert it back into AC to be used in the grid or the home.
Because inversion of current isn't perfectly efficient, battery producers are always experimenting with how to invert less often and increase the efficiency of the battery. As a result, some batteries will not have inverters for both input and output included in the system. Talk to your solar installer about the battery system you're considering so that you can make sure you have all the external inverters you need.
Beware cheap inverters, which are everywhere. To power modern household appliances, a pure sine wave inverter is essential; otherwise, you may end up frying some of the more delicate electronic circuits in your home.
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