Solar Battery Storage: A 3-Step Guide | Solar Secure

A rapidly rising number of Australian households and businesses have begun to adapt to renewable energy sources like solar + battery storage to bring down their monthly energy bills and gain independence from the grid. However, solar panels only work as long as there’s sun. During the hours when the sun doesn’t shine, you go back to relying on your grid for energy supply, i.e. purchasing the required energy from the grid. A home solar battery can help you become completely independent from the grid, including when the sun isn’t out. Is it worth investing in a home solar battery for you?

The recent lockdown has got us all cooped up, working from home. That probably means working through the evening, sometimes even the night. So naturally, our energy requirements have increased a bit. If you don’t have a home solar battery, the energy you’re consuming during the evening and night comes from the grid. And it comes at a pretty high cost. It puts the whole ‘maximising savings on energy bill’ objective into question. Fortunately, there’s a reasonably simple solution to that – installing solar batteries in your home.

This graph may help you understand it better –

Now, let’s talk about how you can optimise the use of the solar power generated by your system with the help of a solar battery:

Observe and plan your energy consumption with peace of mind

A rather obvious observation, right? Try to use a majority of energy during the daytime while the sun is still out. Plan all your chores in a way that you can get them out of the way before the sun is down, rather than having your excess energy exported back to the grid, only to have to repurchase it at a higher price in the evening and night. This way, even if you don’t have a solar battery, you can ensure that you rely as little as possible on the grid.

Charge your solar battery storage and be independent

After your appliances have used up their required share of energy, make sure you charge your solar battery to 100% before the sun goes down. Then, even if you have to use a sizeable amount of energy at night, you have enough stored away in the battery. This helps you extend your independence from the grid at night.

Pace it out

Instead of having all your appliance plugged in simultaneously, it’s a good idea to stretch out your energy output. Ideally, you want to ensure that the charge/discharge rate of your energy consumption is not more than 2.5kWh or 3.3kWh. By doing this, you’re making sure none of your stored energy goes to waste and that your battery’s efficiency is maximum.

These are three key steps to ensuring you use your solar energy wisely.

For more guidance, contact our solar battery experts.