Imagine you are at home on a stormy night, the washing machine is running and you are watching TV, and suddenly the power goes out. Now imagine the same scenario, except you have a rooftop solar system with battery storage. You’ll be blissfully unaware when there’s a power outage near your home.
1. Understand solar battery energy storage
A common myth about solar power is that you can only rely on it when the sun is shining. You do need sunlight to generate electricity with solar power, but what about when there is no sunlight? Most people rely on electricity from the grid to supplement their solar power generation. But a residential solar system combined with battery storage, a solar battery energy storage system, can provide power no matter the weather or time of day without relying on the grid for backup power.
2. The benefits of solar battery energy storage systems
(1) 24/7 power:
If you use a utility billing mechanism called time of use and don’t have a solar system, your electricity bill may be more expensive at night due to higher demand on the system. However, with solar battery storage, you can use the electricity you generate during the day at a later date, rather than relying on the utility to power it. This is also useful if you live in an area with frequent power outages.
(2) Save money:
If your utility company raises your electricity bill, you can use batteries to avoid this. Solar battery energy storage allows you to take advantage of low-cost energy that is already generated and stored, ensuring your rates are kept low and won’t impact your monthly budget. In some cases, you can even sell your stored energy back to the grid and bank the profits when rates are higher.
(3) Better Monitoring:
A solar battery storage system can help you better track the energy your system produces with monitoring features that increase transparency and accuracy. These systems allow you to track the energy your home produces and uses in real time.
(4) More energy self-sufficiency:
While most jurisdictions require homes to be connected to a local utility, even if they don’t use any of the utility’s electricity, a solar battery storage system will get you closer to being “off the grid.” Battery storage means you don’t have to rely on the utility company to power your home for most of the year. And you can always reserve some battery capacity so your house will keep the lights on even if there is a power outage in your neighborhood.