Battery for Solar Panels: What You Need to Know

Solar panels let you harness free, green energy from the sun for your own use or to sell it to the grid for lower electricity bills, but you need a battery bank to achieve true energy autonomy. Without the battery for solar panels, a house full of solar panels will still leave homeowners without any power when the grid fails.

Solar Panel Battery Storage: Are They Worth It?

Installing the battery for solar panels to store excess solar energy for later use improves the independence of home energy. Solar battery storage system offer benefits such as:

1. Reduce the dependence on utility grid

2. Improve the utilization of solar power system

3. Provide backup power when outage

4. Participate in grid services or demand response programs and earning credits or compensation

But these advantages of the battery for solar panel are not cheap, and finding the best fit for your needs among the technical details can be confusing. Here is a brief guide on what you should know before you buy your own self-reliance in a box.

How Battery for Solar Panels works?

The simple way to understand the battery for solar panel is to picture that the electricity in your house moves through wires like water through pipes. Solar panel batteries act like a storage tank, making electricity available when you need it, just like indoor pressure tanks and water heaters do with water.

When batteries are used for power, their supply of stored electricity goes down, but in a well-connected system they can be automatically refilled by "grabbing" any extra electricity moving through the system from sources like solar panels or the grid.

Solar Battery System Type

Depending on the way of installing batteries, there are three solar battery storage system:

Connect the Storage Battery to Solar Panels Only:

it is one option for off-grid living and away from electrical utilities. The solar powered battery acts as the backup power for home when the sun goes down or cloudy.

Connect the Storage Battery to Solar Panels and the Grid:

It is the common option for hybrid solar system. In such a system, homeowners charge the battery with 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.

Connect the Storage Battery to the Grid:

In such situation, the batteries are installed without solar panels. They are charged from the grid and play the role of backup power.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Solar Batteries

Types of Solar Battery

There are several kinds of batteries used in battery backup systems, including lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. 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.  

Lifespan and Warranties

The storage capacity of solar battery loses over time. Thus when purchasing a battery for your solar system, homeowners should take the lifespan and warranty into considerations. Many top solar batteries offer 10-year warranty - SVC Lithium ion Solar Battery.

FAQ

Why do I need a battery with solar panels?

Adding a solar storage battery storage system ensures homeowner always have power when the sun isn't out or during a power outage.

How many solar battery do I need to power my house?

It depends on how you intend to use them. Likely, fewer batteries are required if you simply hope to maximize net metering savings. To keep homeowner powered during an extended blackout, you will need to calculate your total power needs.