23/09/2023
Storage systems can additionally provide backup power to critical home loads during blackouts. When paired with solar panel systems, solar battery storage solutions allow you to reap the benefits of renewable energy and apply them to your home needs during power outages.
In this article, we show you how a solar battery works over the course of a typical day. We also provide an overview of the equipment needed for a solar battery backup system to work and discuss differences between grid connected and off-grid systems.
Along the way, we explain how you can save even more with battery storage if your utility is on a time-of-use (TOU) rate plan. Let’s get to it!
Charging and discharging your battery
In the following examples, we’ll show you how a typical solar battery storage system works over the course of the day.
In short, a solar-plus-storage system keeps the excess solar energy generated during the middle of the day by your PV system onsite, in order to be applied for later use in your home.
Morning
In the early morning hours, you aren’t generating solar electricity because the sun isn’t up yet.
Depending on the size of your battery and home usage, you might be drawing electricity from the grid and battery at the same time. If you live in an area with lower-cost off-peak electric rates, you can program your solar battery to charge during this time as a way to save money.
Typically, energy usage increases as the hours go by in the morning: Showers are taken, toasters are used, and hair gets dried. Since the sun is still low in the sky, you aren’t going to be generating much electricity from your solar panels. The shortfall can be met with grid power.