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19 Dec

How Do You Power Your House At Night If You Have Solar Power?

A frequent query we get is "Can solar panels generate electricity at night" which when[...]

16 Dec

At home workers and parents save more money with solar power

If you’ve recently made the transition to work from home or are a newly stay[...]

11 Dec

Anti-islanding Protection For Grid-Tie Solar Power Systems

Anti-islanding protection is a mandatory safety feature that is built into all grid-tied and hybrid[...]

09 Dec

Most Important Criteria For Choosing a Solar Inverter

When purchasing a home solar power system many people put their focus on ensuring they[...]

05 Dec

Why Your Home Solar Energy System Isn’t Saving You More Money

As much as we receive frequent success stories and case studies from people who have[...]

03 Dec

Buying Tips For Residential Solar PV Systems

Making the decision to buy a solar PV system to install at your home is[...]

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If you’re considering solar for your property or just looking to maximise the savings for your solar system, download a FREE copy of our "Beginner’s Guide To Solar Power".

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Includes detailed explanations and diagrams of the various types of solar systems and their parts, solar battery storage systems, Government incentives, expected ROI periods, finance, energy saving tips and more!

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Understanding Batteries

For some households a battery system can be of great benefit and minimise a home’s reliance on the grid. However, it’s important to understand for a battery to be useful your solar system needs to be generating excess energy for the battery to store, which you can then use at night or when the sun is not out.

When selecting a battery, you’ll want to invest in a system that is most suited to your home and can drive the best return on investment (ROI). Despite a larger upfront cost, a higher quality battery may significantly increase your ROI.

Battery systems start from $6,000 and costs can vary greatly based on the following factors:

Cycle Life-Time
The number of times a battery can fully charge and discharge.
Battery Power (kW)
How fast it can be charged or discharged.
Storage Capacity (kWh)
The maximum amount of energy a battery system can store.
Battery Management System (BMS)
An electronic ‘smart’ system that gathers data and manages the battery ensuring it does not overload or operate outside of its safe functioning zone..
Inverter
Battery systems require their own inverter if your solar system does not have a hybrid inverter.
'All-In-One Unit’
A system which includes the battery, BMS and an inverter all in one unit.
Warranty
Length of time or cycles the battery system is under guarantee.
Blackout Protection/Backup
It’s important to note this is not a common feature of a battery system and could cost thousands of dollars to include. Blackout protection not only requires additional components but also a specialised installation and rewiring. For grid-connected homes, the cost for blackout protection can outweigh the benefit.