Solar batteries are becoming more popular by the day. They’re offering a smart power storage solution for homeowners, ensuring that their lights stay on despite a blackout. But the question is whether there are challenges that come with solar battery installation.
Like with everything else, solar batteries are two-sided. They have advantages and disadvantages. For every homeowner looking forward to installing solar batteries, it’s essential to learn both sides to make informed decisions. Additionally, for those who are installing solar systems for the first time and considering incorporating solar batteries, Solar Run Breaks It Down as to why they might want to install them simultaneously.
Meanwhile, here are the pros and cons of solar batteries:
Pro: Non-Payable Power
Solar batteries’ primary source of energy is sunlight. The solar batteries will stay charged as long as the sun keeps shining. The beauty of it is that no one is charged to use sunlight. It charges your solar batteries all day long without answering to anybody or any organization. With fully charged solar batteries, you enjoy free power, and rest assured that you won’t receive any power bill at the end of the day.
Pro: Lowers Your Carbon Footprint
Almost every utility depends on a certain percentage of fossil fuel to generate power, which means that the amount of CO2 emissions for the power you use differs depending on the energy mix of the utility rate operating in your state. Unfortunately, some countries and states are contributing to higher grid CO2. But with solar panels that have a storage system, you can reduce your carbon footprint by a significant margin.
Pro: Energy Independence
After the installation of solar batteries, you stop depending on your utility. This fact is true and great if you live in a place with regular blackouts. Solar batteries ensure your lights are on and phones charged even when other homes are in total darkness.
Generally, solar panels cease producing electricity once there’s a power blackout to prevent feedback to the grid. However, after installing solar batteries, your panels will continue charging the batteries even when there’s a blackout. As a result, you’re guaranteed that whether or not the grid fails, your power will still be working.
Pro: Instant Power Backup
It goes without mentioning that solar batteries’ main benefit is providing instant power back up once the grid goes down. What makes the deal even better is that solar batteries are silent, unlike typical gas generators that most homeowners use in case of a blackout. This means on top of getting a reliable instant power backup, you enjoy a noise-free and anti-pollution power backup solution.
Pro: Saves On Electric Bills
With solar batteries, you’re guaranteed reduced electricity bills. Nevertheless, the amount you can save depends on the net metering you’re receiving from your utility. Net metering ensures your utility credits your electricity bills for the extra solar power you provide to the grid to reduce future energy costs.
However, with full-retail net metering, solar batteries might not be beneficial economically like when your utility uses time-of-use rates. When using time-of-use rates, the electricity prices depend on the time of the day. If you have solar batteries, you can opt to use the preserved energy when electricity is expensive, saving considerably on your bill.
Pro: Portable Energy
Solar batteries can be transported to generate power for lighting various dark areas. Unlike traditional power sources, solar energy can be used everywhere, even where typical electricity remains a myth. As long as you have solar batteries and panels and there’s sunshine, nothing will stop you from lighting up your home in any part of the world. Solar power is becoming the preferred power source for many people, so the design is well articulated to fit any home.
Con: Energy Storage Is Costly
Energy storage is relatively high and can quickly increase the cost of your solar photovoltaic. Therefore, installing solar batteries doesn’t make financial sense—it depends on your consumption tariff rate. That said, it’s essential to calculate your return on investment before investing in solar batteries. Luckily, the involved parties are making advancements in the energy storage system to cut the cost, and soon, energy storage will be affordable for most individuals.
Con: Solar Panels Require Much Space
For more power to be stored in your solar batteries, you’ll need more solar panels to accumulate enough sunlight. You’re likely to need more space to install the number of solar panels you need, which comes down to requiring more roof area. If you have a limited roof to install enough solar panels, it’ll be impossible to generate the amount of energy you need for the batteries.
Con: Increased Maintenance
While maintaining solar panels is easy, including solar batteries makes the process more complex and time-consuming. It’s also important to note that the level of maintenance depends on the complexity and technology used to develop different solar batteries.
For instance, if you’re working with deep cycle lead-acid batteries, you must regularly top the water levels and ensure the terminals are always clean. The water should be distilled, and the batteries should be handled carefully since the chemicals are highly toxic and corrosive. Nevertheless, modern batteries like lithium-ion are maintenance-free.
Con: Increases The Complexity Of Your Solar System
Designing and installing solar batteries increases the complexity of your solar system. Due to the complexity of the entire procedure, anything can go wrong, resulting in severe damage that can be costly. It’s essential to be extra careful in the designing phase to ensure that the battery and cable size are correct. Additionally, solar batteries should be stored in a cool area as they don’t like heat. Based on this information, it comes down to one thing: complexity.
Conclusion
Solar batteries are ideal for power storage. They ensure you’re always sorted in terms of power even when there’s a blackout. To top it all, they only require sunlight to be charged, helping you save on energy bills. Nevertheless, they have some disadvantages too. Installing solar batteries increases the complexity of your solar system since something can go wrong if the design and installation aren’t done correctly.
Based on the above information, you now know the pros and cons of solar batteries. If you’re considering investing in them, check whether the pros outweigh the cons and vice versa and base your decision on your answer.
