A Guide to Solar Batteries (Updated 2022)

Solar panels are a fantastic way to harness the natural energy of the sun to produce clean, free energy for use around your home.

Unfortunately, however, the energy produced by your solar panels needs to be used right away, or it will be wasted.

Certainly not ideal, especially when you consider that a significant amount of the energy used in UK homes is consumed at night and other periods when solar panels are not as effective.

On average, a household with solar panels but no storage capabilities in place, will only save around half of what they could, due to this loss of energy.

The Answer? A Solar Battery

By purchasing a solar battery to store the energy produced by your solar panels until it is required in your home, you could save as much as £200 every year on your electric bills compared to having solar panels alone, not to mention reducing your output of greenhouse gases by almost a tonne.

This guide will tell you all you need to know about installing a solar battery and give you a better idea of whether such an installation would be beneficial to your home.

What is a Solar Battery?

Solar batteries allow you to store the excess electricity that you generate in your home through solar panels or any other means.

This energy can then be used at any time of the day or night or sold back into the national grid.

Typically, around 50% of generated energy by solar panels goas unused so a battery is essential if you are looking to get the most out of your renewable energy system.

The are several different types of solar battery, all of which have their pros and cons but the two most popular are the lead acid model, and the more efficient lithium-ion battery.

How do they work?

Solar batteries work by creating an overflow for solar panel generated energy.

Solar panels convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity, which is then converted into alternating current (AC) that can be used around your home.

Once the energy requirements of your home have been met at that current time the rest of the electrical energy will be transferred into the battery storage where it will remain until required.

For obvious reasons, solar panels are less effective at night, meaning that for a large portion of the time sent at home, owners must instead rely upon expensive grid electricity to meet their needs.

With a solar battery in place, your system will thrive at night, providing completely free, clean energy 24 hours a day.

Even better, your battery and panels will work together automatically, with your battery kicking in the moment it is required without the need for manual switching.

How much do they cost?

On average a solar battery will typically cost around £4,500 depending on the type and capacity of the battery in question

Once you have installed your battery however, maintenance costs will be minimal to none, and you will more than make your money back over the systems lifespan.

For a solar battery that can hold enough energy to ensure you do not require to use any grid electricity at all, you should expect to pay around 10-20% more than average, at around £5,000.

If you are looking to meet the energy requirements of your home through renewable energy alone and take the property off-grid, this may be the approach that is best suited to your needs.

On average you will make back around £200 per year in the form of reduced electricity bills when using a solar battery and panels and to maximise the returns you may also wish to sell unused energy back into the national grid through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) scheme.

AC or DC?

Solar batteries come in two different types, those that store electricity directly from the solar panels in direct current (DC) and alternation current (AC) batteries that contains an additional inverter.

If you already have solar panels in place, you will require an AC battery that is much easier to fit into an existing system but if you are instead installing both your panels and battery at the same time a DC battery is the better option.

How long do they last?

Solar batteries Scotland tend to last for around 15 years with many manufacturers offering a 10-year guarantee on their products.

The capacity may slightly decline in the final 5 years of usage, so this is something worth considering when working out which model to go for.

Contact Greener Energy Group

For more information on solar batteries or solar PV panels call Greener Energy Group today on 03335 77 66 99 or fill out our home suitability survey today.