Solar batteries have been a fairly hot topic over the last few years, particularly in Australia. Every year looks like it’s going to be the big year for solar battery storage. So, if you’ve decided this is your year, there are a few things you need to know before making the investment.
The Time Is Now
While the technology itself has been in the mainstream for over a decade, the idea of battery storage connected to the grid isn’t. It’s a new idea. Which means that its still in the early stages of use. So, the greatest hurdle is cost. Don’t wait for batteries to invest in your panels. Think of it as a step by step process, it will help spread your costs.
The Grid
Just because you have solar storage batteries doesn’t mean that you live off the grid. The majority of systems will actually be on-grid. It costs a lot to go off-grid, it means more solar panels and higher battery capacity as well. You will more than likely still need the grid to fill gaps in your stored or generated power.
Capacity
You need to know the difference between usable and nominal capacities. Every battery has reserve energy, and you can’t use it. The reason for this is batteries will damage themselves if they discharge their full store of energy. So, don’t get caught up in nominal capacity chatter. The number that you should focus on, the one that truly matters to you as the user is usable capacity.
Hybrid Inverter
This is probably what makes the most sense, financially speaking. You have two options when going hybrid. There’s the two-box solution, which sees an inverter each for the panels and the battery. Then, there’s the one-box option which allows you to have a hybrid inverter for the batteries and the solar combined. The second option is the most affordable one.
