Battery Storage
How Does Renewable Battery Storage Work?
Battery Storage works by storing the excess electrical energy produced by your solar array which would ordinarily be exported to the grid without a battery storage system in place. By installing a battery storage system, the homeowner is able to capture the energy they haven’t used when it was created and use it later in the day/evening. The benefit of such are that homeowners can reduce and in some cases eliminate the need to purchase energy from an energy provider, increasing bill savings. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), work best for people whom are not at home during the day or able to maximize their solar generation. There are 2 types of batteries available for BESS’s, Lithium Ion and Lead Acid.
What Hardware do you need for Battery Storage
In order to install a Battery Storage System an inverter which is compatible with Battery Storage and or a charge controller is required. There are different types of batteries on the market and these are as follows :-
AC Coupled Batteries
AC Coupled Batteries. An AC Coupled Battery has an additional inverter within the battery itself which converts the already converted AC power back into DC power.
DC Coupled Batteries
DC Coupled Batteries. DC Coupled Batteries are the more thermodynamically efficient of the 2 battery types as the electricity is only converted from DC to AC once. The Battery system sits between the solar panels and the inverter and the DC power created on the roof is sent directly into the battery if there is no demand from the home.
What Size Battery do I need?
It’s important to size the battery for energy demands of the household. If a household has very high energy requirement in the evenings, especially during longer winter nights, smaller battery storage systems may not be able to hold enough power for all the occupants nighttime needs. For example, if you wanted to run several appliances at once in the evening, such as kettles, microwaves, washing machines, along with TVs, lights, fridges etc, your battery would discharge at a much quicker rate than that of a less busy household with lower energy demands. Home battery systems are also limited to the amount of electricity output they can give at any one time.
At Landsmart, we work all of this out for you and size your battery storage depending on your needs.
What is the Lifespan of a Renewable Battery
As with all products, batteries have a working life and this lifespan decreases the more often or the more times it is used and recharged (cycles). Lithium-ion Batteries if only discharged to within 20% of their maximum capacity on average are warranted for between 8-10 years. Lead Acid batteries, which are cheaper have a shorter working life and warranty period.
