Why Install a Solar Energy Storage System?
Solar energy storage systems allow for increased resiliency in the event of a grid outage. This is the primary reason most homeowners add a battery to their existing solar system.
POWER Magazine:
Storage offers many benefits for solar customers. It can help them save money by reducing their electricity bills and provide backup power.
Cost
Solar energy systems can function without storage, but adding battery storage adds more functionality to your home. It allows homeowners to store excess power generated by their solar panels for use at night or during cloudy days. It also helps homeowners save money with utilities that offer time-of-use rates and protects them from rate increases.
A typical battery system costs $8,000 to $16,000 installed on average before tax credits. A solar energy system with a critical or backup load panel, which is needed for vital technology and medical equipment like refrigerators, costs an additional $1,000 to $2,000.
Storage systems differ in both their energy capacity (how much power they can hold) and their power capability (how much electricity can be drawn out at once). Solar storage technologies are typically lithium-ion batteries that have lifespans of over 4,000 cycles. Most solar + storage systems are AC coupled, which allows homeowners to easily upgrade their systems by adding a battery without having to rewire their entire system design.
The most popular reason homeowners choose a solar energy storage system is to reduce their utility dependence. It can help homeowners lower their electric bills by allowing them to avoid paying peak electricity prices during the day, which is especially helpful if their utility uses time-of-use rates. It can also help reduce their reliance on the grid during a power outage by providing backup power.
Energy Savings
In areas with net metering, solar energy storage systems allow homeowners to enjoy the full benefits of their solar systems. A battery system can provide backup power for the homeowner during Planned Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) due to wildfires or other grid outages caused by natural disasters. This gives homeowners peace of mind during these dangerous situations.
Another benefit is that with a solar-plus-storage system, the homeowner will become less reliant on the utility grid and will be more energy self-sufficient. For those that live in a place with high electricity prices, a battery system can help them avoid paying Solar Lithium Battery those higher rates during the times when the utilities charge peak demand rates.
Energy storage systems can also help homeowners save money on their utility bills if they have a Time-of-Use rate. With this type of tariff, utility companies typically charge higher electricity prices during peak hours, such as from 4pm to 9pm. With a solar battery system, you can store the excess electricity generated by your solar panels and use it during these peak hours to save money on your utility bill.
Over the course of a 25 year period, this could amount to substantial savings for your energy bills. Plus, with a solar energy storage system, you will be protected from future rate increases by your local utility company.
Backup Power
Solar battery systems have different energy and power capacities. Energy capacity refers to how much energy the battery can store, and power capacity is how much electricity it can release at a time. A solar battery with a higher energy capacity can provide backup power for longer periods of time than one with a lower energy capacity.
Solar energy storage provides homeowners with clean, reliable backup power that further lessens their dependence on the grid. A typical battery paired with solar can power a home for days during a grid outage, and can also be used to reduce utility peak demand charges during high-cost summer evenings.
The Generac PWRcell solar + storage system comes in four different system configurations to match your home’s energy needs, from a three-module solar battery system for up to 18 kWh of energy storage to a five-module solar + battery system that can deliver up to 30 kWh of power. You can also easily expand the PWRcell by adding more modules.
The newest generation of solar batteries is also smarter than ever, and can be configured to take advantage of your home’s energy profile in ways that optimize your electricity usage for your specific situation. It can help manage the transition to more expensive time-of-use rates, shift consumption during peak hours, mitigate the impact of curtailment and other grid challenges, and even provide an emergency backup during a utility outage.
Convenience
It’s no secret that solar power generates clean energy and helps to reduce our dependence on dirty fossil fuels. But did you know that solar power can also be used as a backup source of energy during utility grid outages? That’s one of the primary reasons why homeowners choose to pair solar with battery storage.
Whether they are co-located with, or placed next to, solar systems, or stand alone, energy storage solutions (like mechanical, thermal, and batteries) Solar Lithium Battery Manufacturer help to improve the integration of solar into our energy landscape. This is done through a variety of ways, such as:
Solar energy storage helps smooth out the variability that occurs in how solar power flows on the grid. This is especially important in areas that experience frequent, widespread power outages, or where utilities use Time-of-Use rates to charge higher electricity prices during peak demand hours.
The newest generation of solar-plus-storage solutions can help to make this process faster, and easier, for installers through a range of technology advances like smart battery sizing, load profile modeling, and electricity cost forecasting. These tools are part of a comprehensive software suite that SEIA offers to its members, called Aurora Solar + Storage.