The emphasis on renewable energy has grown significantly in recent years. Whether you live in Adelaide or Brisbane, home rooftops are shimmering with photovoltaic panels. Millions of households are making the switch to solar energy.
With this in mind, the next question should be, “What’s happening to the excess energy your panels absorb? ” If your excess solar energy is currently being sent back to the main grid, it may be time to chat with the electrician Canberra locals trust about a more sustainable solution. This post takes a closer look at the benefits of investing in a solar battery.
Understanding What a Solar Battery Is
Solar batteries are an essential part of your renewable energy system. Essentially, a solar battery can be defined as an energy storage system that focuses on capturing surplus electricity generated by solar panels during the day.
Panels generate electricity during the middle of the day while you are at work, and that excess power is sent back to the main grid for a minimal feed-in tariff. When you return home in the evening (just as your household energy consumption spikes), the sun goes down, and you are forced to buy expensive electricity back from the retail grid. This disconnect is where home battery storage systems come into play.
Installing a solar battery is the missing puzzle piece that allows you to fully capitalise on your renewable investment. A solar battery stores the excess energy, making it available to use at night, during grid outages, or on cloudy days. This significantly reduces your home’s overall reliance on expensive electricity from the power grid.
Many Benefits to Look Forward to With Solar Batteries
If you’re planning to add solar energy to your home or you’re simply looking for a way to make an already effective system more efficient, it may be time to invest in a solar battery. Here are a few of the more common benefits of doing this.
Instantly Maximises Solar Consumption
The key benefit of investing in a home energy storage system is that it shifts your reliance away from the main grid. Instead of exporting your valuable daytime solar generation back to the grid for a few cents per kilowatt-hour, a battery stores that energy for your home when you actually need it.
A typical example of this is that solar batteries make it easy to bridge the evening peak. Most families use the majority of their energy between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM for cooking dinners, running washing machines, and turning on air conditioning. A solar battery discharges its stored energy during these exact hours, allowing you to run your home on solar energy long after dark. By storing and using your own energy, you save far more money than you would make selling it back to the grid.
Helps Reduce High Energy Bills
It’s no secret that Australian retail electricity rates have been highly volatile over recent years. A few top reasons for this include fossil fuel price spikes, ageing infrastructure, and rapid grid transitions.
Fortunately, a solar battery acts as an economic shield against these unpredictable price surges. Here are a few of the key ways this happens:
- Ultimate energy independence: Electricians recommend pairing a well-sized solar array with a robust battery. This will help you reduce your home’s reliance on the main grid by at least 80%. This eventually translates into a massive reduction in monthly electricity bills.
- Protection against time-of-use tariffs: Every Australian homeowner knows that electricity retailers utilise time-of-use tariffs. This also means charging exorbitant rates during peak evening hours. A smart battery system can be programmed to deploy stored power precisely during these premium rate windows, entirely bypassing peak prices, saving money in the long-run.
Allows Homeowners to Capitalise on Government Incentives
If your overall reason for installing solar energy is to save money, then this benefit will definitely appeal to you. In an effort to support the transition toward renewable energy, Australian state and federal governments offer various incentive programs for installing solar batteries.
Here are two crucial ways that these incentives can help you:
- State-based rebates and loans: Many Australian states offer financial incentives, including interest-free loans or direct rebates, to encourage homeowners to install solar panels and their subsequent storage solutions.
- Virtual Power Plants (VPPs): Electricians encourage homeowners to join a Virtual Power Plant program. By allowing an energy network aggregator to occasionally draw a small amount of power from your battery to stabilise the grid during local emergencies. This allows you to receive direct financial rewards, discounted electricity rates, or upfront battery discounts.
Final Thoughts
Opting to install a solar battery on your property instantly transforms your home from a simple consumer of electricity into a smart, self-sufficient micro-powerplant. While the upfront investment can be significant, falling technology costs combined with rising electricity bills make battery storage more appealing.
Local homeowners will be able to avoid skyrocketing utility costs and also protect their families against unpredictable grid failures. In addition to this, solar battery installation makes a meaningful contribution to a sustainable future, making it a rewarding investment!
Laila Azzahra is a professional writer and blogger that loves to write about technology, business, entertainment, science, and health.