Solar batteries for home

Solar batteries for home

In the 2000s-2010s, it wouldn't make sense to buy batteries for a PV system without a strong reason. Batteries were simply too expensive and probably would never pay for themselves. However, over the last decade, the price of lithium-ion batteries has dropped by 90%. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us switched to working from home, and the need for an uninterrupted power supply grew significantly. In this section of our website, you’ll find a variety of solar batteries for home. 

Solar panel batteries for home grant outage immunity

Adding batteries to a solar system introduces energy storage capabilities, which can offer several benefits and address certain limitations of standalone solar installations. Here are some reasons why batteries are often integrated into solar systems:

1. Energy Storage: Solar panels generate electricity when the sun is shining, but this energy production fluctuates throughout the day due to changing weather and sunlight intensity. Home batteries for solar allow you to store excess energy produced during peak sunlight hours and use it during times when the sun isn't shining, such as at night or during cloudy weather.
2. Energy Independence: By storing excess solar energy, you become less reliant on the grid for electricity during periods of low solar generation. This can lead to greater energy independence, reduced utility bills, and protection against power outages. Outage immunity is particularly valuable in areas prone to blackouts or during emergencies, ensuring that critical appliances and systems remain operational.
3. Load Shifting: Solar batteries for home use enable load shifting, which involves using stored energy during peak demand hours to avoid high electricity costs. For example, you can charge your batteries when electricity rates are low and use that stored energy during peak rate hours when prices are higher.

Solar batteries are essential for off-grid or remote locations where grid access is limited or unavailable. Solar panels can charge batteries during the day, providing a continuous power supply even when the sun isn't shining. However, you can add a battery to a grid-tie system using a hybrid inverter. 

Best solar batteries brands for home

A battery is an expensive purchase. Better make a good choice the first time so there is less chance you’ll have to return the product. Here are the best brands of solar batteries on the market. 

LG Chem

LG Chem is a subsidiary of LG Corporation and is known for its high-quality lithium-ion battery technology. Their RESU (Residential Energy Storage Unit) series of batteries are popular choices for residential solar installations. LG Chem batteries are often praised for their efficiency, longevity, and reliability. They offer various capacity options to suit different energy storage needs and can be used for both grid-tied and off-grid systems. LG Chem batteries also have a sleek design and can be wall-mounted, saving space in your home.

Enphase

Enphase Energy is known for its microinverter technology that optimizes the performance of individual solar panels. In addition to inverters, Enphase offers energy storage solutions. Their Encharge battery system is designed to work seamlessly with Enphase solar installations. Encharge solar powered batteries for home utilize lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) chemistry, known for its safety and long cycle life. One notable feature of Enphase's system is its modularity, allowing you to start with a smaller capacity and expand as needed.

Generac

Generac, a well-known name in backup power solutions, has also entered the solar battery market. Their battery offerings are designed to integrate with solar systems and provide backup power during outages. Generac's PWRcell solar battery for home use can be customized to accommodate different energy requirements, and it comes with monitoring and management features. These batteries are promoted as reliable solutions for both daily energy use optimization and emergency backup power.

Average cost of solar batteries for a house

A battery is an expensive purchase and whenever you add an energy storage to your solar system, it increases its cost by about 50%. The exact cost depends on the type of battery and its power capacity. Lead-acid batteries are cheap but the maintenance is hard and the acceptable depth of discharge is rather low. That’s the reason why lithium-ion batteries now dominate the market. They are more expensive but they last longer, have a high depth-of-discharge and high efficiency.

The cost of solar batteries for home also highly depends on the brand. For instance, LG and Generac batteries are likely to be more expensive than Tesla or Enphase energy storage. On average, the cost per one watt-hour of power capacity can range from $0.7 all the way to $2 and more. Keep in mind that there are also shipping and labor expenses, but solar power batteries for home are eligible for Solar Tax Credit. 

Best solar battery for your home

Because solar batteries are expensive, adding energy storage is not a decision that should be made lightly. In some instances, a simple grid-tie system without batteries offers a better return on investment than an off-grid installation or even a hybrid installation. Solar batteries, however, are a wise investment for households in regions with regular power outages. If you opt for complete energy independence, they become crucial. But which solar battery for home use is the best?

Consider models like Generac PWRcell, Tesla Powerwall 2, Enphase Ensemble Encharge, and LG RESU Prime. In general, we would advise paying attention to the brand and making the decision based on the reviews and the warranties that the manufacturer offers. A solar panel battery for home is something that should serve you for at least a decade so it makes sense to go for a quality product and not a cheap one.