About Solar Panels with a Battery
Solar batteries, otherwise known as a home-energy battery, work in tandem with your solar PV system to store excess energy for use when you need it. This can help by reducing your energy usage during peak hours, therefore reducing your energy bills.
Solar batteries allow for the continued use of renewable energy produced by your solar PV panels during the evenings and nights when your panels will not generate enough electricity to meet your demands. Traditionally homes use smaller amounts of electricity during the day when solar PV panels are producing peak levels of electricity, wasting any excess energy being produced. Home energy storage batteries capture this excess energy, reducing your energy wastage and saving you money.
Home energy storage batteries can be installed at the same time as the installation of your solar PV panels or retrospectively fitted at a later date. At SolarTherm UK, our fully trained and accredited engineers can do both, as well as providing expert advice on the best home energy storage system based on your energy usage requirements.
Solar batteries can be used to power any electrical appliances in your home, often working automatically without any intervention. Common uses for the energy from home energy storage systems including charging electric vehicles and reducing reliance on the grid during peak hours if your solar PV panels aren’t generating sufficient electricity.
Home-energy storage batteries aren’t just for those with solar panels. Home energy storage batteries can be set up to charge overnight during off-peak hours on an Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs, allowing you to utilise the cheap energy stored in your battery during peak hours.
There are two types of home energy storage systems available, a DC or AC coupling. Each type of system comes with several advantages and disadvantages. Our team at SolarTherm UK will be able to provide you advice based on your current set-up as well as talking you through the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Typically, AC-coupled systems are recommended for those retrofitting and have solar PV panels already installed and don’t require the replacement of the existing DC inverter. On the other hand, DC-coupled systems are recommended for those installing home energy batteries at the same time as installing solar PV panels due to the greater efficiency of the system.
