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Questions about battery storage
17-12-2022
When it comes to battery storage, the important question is what you are trying to achieve in sustainable energy.
To put it in perspective, you may only need to store a given amount of energy to provide your AC power needs, this is short for alternating-current. Just a case you are thinking of sitting down and calculating the sum of the parts or calculating the cost of electricity. Maybe if you are off the grid for instance and have no method of connecting to the national grid, then the off grid solar system power storage must be calculated to ensure you do not exceed or deplete the storage capacity of your battery power plant. It is almost like living on a desert island, so it is important this way to understand how and why a battery backup is necessary.
But if you are already connected to the National grid, then your goal would be to supplement the household power each day by storing energy for times when needed. This can be done in several ways and will also reduce your need to externally purchase energy for your home, (fossil fuel) which ultimately will reduce your carbon-footprint using only sunlight.
Solar PV generation
Straight forward PV energy generation takes the PV power generated and directs it to household 230v equipment used during daylight hours, this is a sequence of converting (DC to AC) through the solar inverter. Depending on the size of the property roof, crystalline silicon solar panels can be applied to meet a percentage of the household energy needs, thus to reduce electricity bills. With the maximum system size on domestic properties not exceeding 16A via the grid tie inverter, it is possible to be in line with the G98 and G99 regulations. Looking at the impact purely from a positive affect: This is a simple way of reducing energy bills when the home is connected to the National grid. The negative result: It only works during daylight hours delivering free-energy from the solar power plant.
Going solar in your home and adding a battery storage facility to a new or an existing solar PV panel system. This can be done using a hybrid inverter storage battery system Within the PV battery storage kit link, is a highly sophisticated brain that will analyse the home usage and make sure the energy is stored within a suitably sized PV battery storage kit
Using a backup power, will provide a percentage of the energy generated from a safe 48v storage (low voltage), known as the battery bank for times when needed. This method is now being used for many domestic properties who find that many of the homeowners are at work during the daylight hours, meaning that the PV generation is not being used effectively. If you do not store the sun generated power, then the electricity production from your grid tie solar would just flow back to the national grid system and thus bypass the home. So, the only way to get close to domestic energy independence and maximise any solar energy produced, would be to store the energy not being used during daylight hours and use it cost effectively when the sun had gone down or your system was not producing maximum generation, at dusk or first thing in the morning. This would be the simple way to maximise energy usage from your residential solar power. Domestic batteries are usually assembled in 5kwh blocks. These can be placed close to the hybrid inverter, say within 1 meter. That way it will reduce any voltage losses in conjunction with the correctly sized cables attached. These battery systems can be wall hung or stacked in a rack to emulate your solar solution energy needs.
Usually a hybrid inverter is required, this is dependent on the age and type of existing inverter installed to your property. You will find that usually, home energy inverters will have a warrenty or be good workable condition between 5-10 years before they need to be replaced.
If you do not have an existing PV system on your property, Then the latest trend is to store excess solar PV energy into a battery bank. This can be done by employing a battery backup system or bank to match your requirements. Usually, a 2-3 bedroomed household would use 12-16 units of electricity per day, with a 3-4 bedroomed property on average using 16-24 units of electricity per day. Therefore, let’s say over the course of a normal year a 16A solar panel system generated 4,000-5,000kw of energy. Then the calculation of how much storage can be made to utilize the power generated each day, while the homeowners are at work. This is then stored energy, which is then no longer only available during daylight hours, it is then free to use any time of the day or night.
Storing energy at low tariff rate in battery storage. This option offers the homeowner the ability to reduce energy costs without using solar panels. The inverter and battery storage can be used on a low tariff rate, usually between 10pm and 5am. This low tariff can be used to store energy into a battery bank for uses for example to charge an electric-vehicle. This can also be described as self-consumption. As you will store the energy needed at a lower rate for use during the day. This will not affect the ability to use national grid electricity at times when the power has depleted in the battery bank. This is an automatic system, no need to use a changeover switch. By using this backup power, it can enable you to utilise solar electricity in a self-consumption method.
If on the other hand off grid solar energy storage is needed, this is where you do not have access to the National grid. Therefore, you will need to provide your own solar panel installation electricity production, which will generate an individual electricity grid suited to the consumption. By using a solar energy system designed to match your needs, away from external energy sources, should run your off the grid home electric system. This method of storing power is dependent on the knowledge of knowing how much energy you need to store for your equipment needs. Alternatively, by using our off-grid kit link, this offers a straightforward ready to assemble kit of parts designed to run small remote applications. If larger more bespoke self-assembly kits to generate electricity may be needed, then we are always happy to discuss your home solar power needs. In the 1st instance, please email us with your request. We will then endeavor to answer within 24 hours.
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