Photo courtesy of Panasonic Eco Systems and GR8 Energy
Solar-plus-storage refers to home energy systems that combine solar panels with a battery. You may also see them called hybrid systems. Solar-plus-storage systems work together to optimize your energy independence — when the sun shines, the solar panels will generate electricity.
If you don't use this electricity right away, the battery will store it so you can use it another time. That way, none of your free, clean solar power goes to waste. Instead, you can tap into it overnight or on cloudier days.
Here's a closer look at how solar-plus-storage works and how it benefits your home.
How do solar panels and home battery systems work together?
Solar panels produce electricity when the sun shines. But if there’s no one home to use the power when it's produced, it will go to waste.
That's where a home battery system comes in. Connecting your solar panels to a battery means any surplus power that your panels generate can be stored in the battery. You can access that power when you need it later, including overnight, during power outages, on cloudy days, or when grid electricity prices rise.
A solar-plus-storage system gives you more flexibility to use your free solar energy. You can reduce your reliance on traditional energy sources and make your household more energy independent and secure.
What are the benefits of a solar-plus-storage system?
1. Around-the-clock renewable power
Combining solar panels and a home battery system gives you access to a free source of around-the-clock power. The energy your panels produce during the day can be stored and used later. That's particularly helpful at times when your panels aren't producing as much power. With a home battery system, you won't have to tap into the grid on rainy or dark days.
What’s more, your battery will charge as long as the sun shines. It's a great cycle of free, renewable energy for your home.
2. Backup power in outages
Blackouts, brownouts, and grid interruptions are becoming more common due to aging power infrastructure and an increase in extreme weather events. Solar panels alone won't be enough to keep your lights on when the grid fails.
By adding a battery to your solar panels, though, you have a constantly recharging source of backup power. With a solar-plus-storage system, you should be able to keep your critical appliances running until the power comes back on.
The actual amount of power your battery can store depends on its capacity. You can also make the charge last longer by limiting the number of appliances, or load, it supports. A single Panasonic EVERVOLT home battery system with SmartBox can keep basic home appliances running for about six to nine hours on a full charge, for example. When the sun comes out, your battery system will recharge from your solar panels.
3. Lower energy bills
A solar-plus-storage system can save you significant money on power bills. You'll have to draw less power from the grid, for starters. The flexibility from a hybrid system also lowers your exposure to volatile energy prices.
This is particularly beneficial if you're on a time-of-use (TOU) utility price plan. Under TOU rates, you pay more for electricity during peak times when demand is higher. In this case, you can charge your battery from your solar power, then use this free electricity when grid rates rise (usually in the evening).
Photo courtesy of Panasonic Eco Systems and Solar Price Discovery
4. Increased energy efficiency
Applications such as SmartBox, which is an optional add-on to Panasonic's EVERVOLT home battery system, enables load management capabilities and lets you monitor your energy usage in real time. Load management helps optimize the use of stored energy to reduce reliance on the grid during peak usage hours and outages.
You can build a picture of your household’s energy patterns and trends, such as which appliances consume the most power and what times of day you’re using the most energy. Using this data, you can adjust your habits to keep bills down or explore a better energy plan with your utility.
Do you need to install solar and storage at the same time?
No. While you can install a battery at the same time as your home solar system, you can also retrofit a battery to existing solar panels. The amount of work required will depend on whether your solar panels were designed with the intention of adding a battery in the future. If they were, adding a battery will be straightforward. If not, it can be more challenging and expensive.
Most homeowners choose to install a single battery with their solar panels, which should provide enough storage to power the most important appliances, such as your garage door opener, wireless router, and lights. If you want to back up your whole home, you can buy several batteries and stack them on top of each other.
A solar-plus-storage allows you to fully maximize the benefits of solar by ensuring your free electricity goes farther and lasts for longer. Learn more about how Panasonic's combined solar and storage solutions can help you save money and optimize your home energy.
