Battery backup for home solar install#

In places like California, where utilities have instituted public safety shutoffs, planned outages have become more frequent during fire season. Recent events and climate change have spurred demand even further for these systems. That’s because most solar panels will shut down during outages, so power isn’t sent onto lines while utility workers are trying to repair them. Ceder says one important thing to remember is that if you have a solar panel system without a battery storage system, you won’t have power if there’s an outage. However, when coupled with a solar panel system, the battery can recharge for as long as you need it until the grid kicks back on. Although you’ll have a finite amount of power, it may be adequate if your outages typically are brief and spotty. Grid charging will provide backup power for 10 to 20 hours, depending on usage and the size of the unit.

These systems can be charged by either electricity from your utility or solar power.

“It’s seamless, so you don’t even notice when power switches from the grid to your battery backup system.”

Battery backup for home solar install#

“Energy independence is one of the biggest reasons people install home battery storage systems,” says Gerbrand Ceder, professor at UC Berkeley and faculty staff scientist at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. Besides the obvious fact that they provide clean power, more and more people are recognizing that the grid isn’t always reliable. Home battery storage systems have skyrocketed in popularity during the past few years for many different reasons.