Are solar batteries worth the investment? Now more than ever solar systems are an important part of any homeowner's financial strategy in California, and solar battery storage is a key component in the success of those systems. With energy rates continuing to rise out of control, and temperatures climbing steadily behind them, the need for power is hindered by the cost of that energy. With a solar system, you can generate clean, renewable energy to combat those rising prices, but without a battery in your system you're stuck dumping excess power back onto the grid for a fraction of what it is worth.
The Strength of Solar Batteries
There are many ways in which solar batteries empower you as a homeowner, providing you with meaningful savings and establishing your energy independence. Let's take a look at some of the many ways in which solar batteries are worth the investment.
Solar Batteries Protect Against Grid Outages
Battery storage means you don’t need the sun to shine to turn the lights on. And if there’s an outage from the grid due to equipment failure or weather, you won’t be affected. Any excess solar energy your system generates but your home can’t use right away is stored in your solar batteries so you can use it anytime you need, including during a grid outage. This level of resilience against outages is more important than ever, with fire season becoming a greater hazard each year, and our aging grid continuing to struggle in providing reliable energy access to all. For the foreseeable future, your best bet when it comes to avoiding outages is to invest in a solar system equipped with solar batteries.
More Dependable Than Gasoline
If you are without power, a gas-powered generator will only take you so far. Not only are they potentially hazardous if not used correctly in the right conditions, but when you run out of fuel, that’s it! A recent example of this problem was the Texas storm duration that left many without power, and then when the fuel ran out, without a backup. With solar batteries, you can recharge whenever the sun shines.
Options for Solar Batteries
When it comes to storage solutions, there are many solar batteries to choose from. Each is going to have different strengths depending on whether you're looking for the ability to export power to the grid or provide whole home backup, and your solar consultant can help you compare and contrast to find the best fit for your needs and budget. That being said, let's highlight a few strong contenders from our hand picked product list.
Solar Batteries and Arbitrage
Battery Arbitrage has recently become a hot topic when discussing solar batteries, and with good reason. Battery arbitrage is part of the financial value proposition of solar batteries, the first half being the ability to store excess power for use later in the day. The ability to store that excess power for use in the evening or when the sun isn't shining is a large part of what makes solar batteries so valuable, because you save much more than you'd make for randomly exporting power to the grid whenever you have more than you need.
The cost of energy in the evening and at night is so high that utilizing your stored power is often the best plan for your system. However, there are certain times throughout the year when the export value of energy skyrockets, and if you've worked with a trusted provider to send power back to the grid during those peak export times, you can end up saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your annual energy costs. This is a great way to expedite the payback period of your solar + storage system!
If you're interested in finding out if solar batteries are worth it for your home, our expert consultants are ready to help you make the most of your investment.
