Batteries to store the energy from your solar panels can grant you the incredible opportunity to store power to be used at other points in the day. The typical worker who is working 9 to 5 can find most of the energy their solar panels generate going straight into the grid; however, solar batteries allow you to use this energy later in the day when you are home.
By adding solar battery storage into your solar panel system, you can gain more independence from the national grid so reducing what you pay out to your energy provider. If you are looking to install solar panels for your property in Devon, Lumos Solar's team are on hand to help with expert installation and friendly advice. To help you make an informed decision, we have put together some information to help with your choice.
- Understanding ‘useable capacity
Battery capacity is measured in the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) a battery can hold. As batteries should never be completely drained of power so as not to cause irreversible damage, it can mean some figures can be deceptive as they include this safety barrier within their figures. What you should be looking for is the usable capacity figure. - Defining a battery cycle
A cycle is defined as one total discharge and one total recharge. Often you will find that the battery will only discharge partially, so if, for example, your battery discharges 33% and then charges this back up that would only be a 1/3 of a cycle. Most batteries have warranties for a certain number of cycles so it is worthwhile calculating how many kilowatt-hours you will be covered for. - How much battery capacity is needed?
This fluctuates on a case-by-case basis. If you are wanting to charge an electric vehicle overnight, a better battery supply may be worthwhile. Also, there is the possibility to buy energy from the grid at cheap rates and then sell the energy back at peak rates to help reduce your monthly bills even further. If you are looking for to have a battery installed alongside your solar panels for your Devon property, our team will be able to give you advice on what solution is best for your situation.
