Being able to supply your entire home or business with power during times of shortages, is a significant advantage gained when a solar battery (or batteries) is installed along with solar panels.
Overuse of energy, power failures from the grid, or even inclement weather, can all impact your supply of energy, and stop you from being able to run your home or business effectively. With stored energy in batteries, however, you can power whatever you need to, while also reducing your dependency on the grid and lowering your electricity bills.
But what exactly can you run on a solar battery when there’s a power outage, and how long will it last?
Storing electricity generated by your solar panel system, gives you the power (pardon the pun!) to run electrical items and systems when your traditional source of power fails. But the number of batteries you’ll need to do this, depends on the size of your home or business, how much electricity you typically use, and what power you hope to get from your solar panel system.
In general terms, however, American households simply wanting to lower their energy bills and power regular electrical appliances, needs between one and three batteries.
But we need to look at all of this in a little more detail…
What is the storage capacity of batteries?
Usually measured in kilowatt-hours, or kWh, standard batteries are around 10 kWh, which should be able to power the average home for 24 hours, when fully charged.
What about the output of solar panels?
The output of solar panels depends entirely on the number of them that you have, and what the weather is like in your area. By pairing a solar panel system with a battery, you’re in essence, creating your own power utility system, and when your solar system is switched off during a power outage, you’ll rely more heavily in the energy stored in your battery.
How much energy do you typically use per day?
When there’s a power outage, it’s important to prioritize those electrical appliances that you typically use often and need; compare a refrigerator with an entertainment system, for example. Cooking, heating, cooling, lighting and device charging, are all things most households would prioritize in order to get the most out of their stored energy during an outage.
How much energy can solar batteries store?
The type of battery, how often it’s used, its temperature, and its maintenance, are all variables impacting how much energy a solar battery can store. Let’s look at each factor a little more closely:
- Battery type
Relatively inexpensive, lead-acid batteries are the most commonly used, but they have a shorter lifespan than lithium-ion batteries, along with a lower discharge depth.
Lithium-ion batteries are lighter, more compact, and longer-lasting than traditional batteries, and are recommended for home and business use by all solar installers.
- Battery usage
Most solar batteries are able to discharge roughly 80% of their stored energy before needing to be recharged, and are commonly referred to as deep-cycle batteries. That said, how long a battery can last depends a lot on how it is used. Ideally, you should never allow your solar battery to run completely out of power; this will reduce its life expectancy.
- Battery temperature
As is the case with many electrical items, batteries are temperature sensitive, and where a battery is stored, along with how and when it is exposed to cold and heat, can impact its lifespan greatly.
Keeping a solar battery indoors, can help it operate at its most efficient, along with preserving it for longer.
- Battery maintenance
Having your battery maintained by professionals is the best way to help it survive for longer, and work more efficiently.
Many factors influence the amount of power solar batteries will give you, along with how long they will give it to you for. But, it goes without saying that the more batteries you have to store energy generated by your solar panel system, the more power you’ll be able to access, and for longer.
To discuss your battery options in more detail, reach out to a local solar installer.