What Is the Best Battery Backup for Solar Panels?

A battery backup for solar panels is essential during blackouts and severe weather storms. Like a generator, battery backups can get everything up and running without needing the grid. This is one of the main reasons why solar battery backups have become so popular. But before you begin the battery backup hunt, there are a few things to know. 

Battery Backup Lingo

• Instantaneous Power Rating: The maximum amount of power that can run in or out of a battery. 
• Round Trip Efficiency: The amount of energy that isn’t lost from storage to usage. 
• Depth of Discharge: The percentage of energy you have used from your battery.
• State of Charge: The percentage of energy you have left in your battery. 
• Kilowatt-hour: The number of kilowatts used in an hour. 

Costs

Depending on the size of your house, the average cost of solar batteries is between $10,000 and $20,000. Although this price may seem high when compared to a generator, unlike a generator, solar batteries can help you lower electric bills and remove yourself further from the grid. Avoid paying “Time of Use” rates to electrical providers and control your home’s power. With a battery backup on hand, you can safely store the energy saved from your solar panels to maximize benefits, like having alternate power during a blackout or minimizing costs. 

Lifetime

Solar battery backups range in quality which can determine the lifespan of your battery. However, the typical battery lasts around 5 to 15 years. Here are some ways you can help extend your battery’s life: 

1. Keep it charged. Leaving your battery uncharged is damaging and will shorten its lifespan.
2. Keep it ventilated. Batteries may gas while charging, that is, release hydrogen and water. Gassing is common with flooded lead-acid batteries. Providing a space with proper ventilation will help prevent a hydrogen buildup in an enclosed space. 
3. Keep the cells equalized. A controlled overcharge of a battery helps keep the electrical charges in the cells even. 

Other Features

The best battery backup for solar panels depends on what your electrical goal is. This list of questions can give you an idea of which features are most important to you. 

• Are your solar panels compatible with the battery?
• Is it manageable with an app?
• How much storage capacity does it offer?
• How much power (or output capacity) do you need?
• What is its depth of discharge?
• Does it come with a warranty or guarantee?
• What is its round-trip efficiency?
• How big is the battery physically?
• Which battery gets the highest safety ratings?

Solar Battery Backup through Current Home

Current Home has teamed up with Tesla to provide you with the ideal solar battery backup. Our professionals are ready to come and connect the Tesla battery to your solar system. Once your system is updated with your battery, you can continue to monitor and manage your solar system with the app. Learn more about solar battery backup today!