- Everyone is talking about battery storage
and how great it is or will be for solar power
and renewables.
But what does it all mean?
And how does it work?
And most importantly,
when does it make sense to install solar batteries
at your home or business.
And when doesn't it?
(Jazz/ swing music)
- [ Presenter] So, in this video where going to cover.
1. how solar storage works.
2. are solar batteries right for you.
A quick guide.
3. What's available.
4. How much it cost and how much
would you expect to save.
So, how does solar storage work.
As we all know, solar power only generated energy,
during daylight hours.
Mostly in the middle of the day for that matter.
However, especially for households,
most of the energy usage is in the evening,
or in the early morning.
Therefore the solar power generation is often happening
at the time when you need it the least.
So what happens without a battery is the excess solar power
is sent out to the grid
and you receive a small payment for that.
Called a feeding tariff.
The problem here is that the amount you receive
for the solar power you export is usually only
a small fraction for the amount you paid
to basically buy the same energy back that night.
So, a solar storage battery simply collects
some or all of that excess energy in the middle of the day
and keeps it some you can use it at nighttime.
Just a quick point.
The way you get the most benefit from the solar battery
is to do this everyday,
charge and discharge as the weather permits.
Its not designed to store power during the week
to use for example, on the weekend.
The other benefit of a solar battery is that it
also can provide backup power in the event of a
power blackout.
Which are becoming more and more common these days.
So, are solar batteries right for you?
We generally find that people that are looking
for solar batteries are usually one of the following.
The first on is, solar owners that are sending
a lot of power to the grid and want to increase
their savings.
The second one is, solar owners
who want to further reduce their power bills
and will need more solar, so they can get a battery.
The third one is, people who don't have solar yet at all
or people who want to reduce their reliance
on the energy companies, and isn't that all of us?
If you already have solar, the first thing to look at is
how much solar power you are exporting to the grid
on average on a a daily basis.
If you have one of our smart solar systems
you can easily see this in the online monitoring system.
If you don't then a quick look at your bill
will show the total solar power exported.
Then divide that by the number of days the bill covers.
If your exporting more than say,
around 8kwh a day, then a solar battery storage
could make sense for you.
If its less than that,
then either a battery system may not be for you
or you could look at adding more solar
to your existing system.
If you don't already have solar power
then make sure you talk to us before you get it,
so that we can help you choose the right sized
solar system for your current and future needs.
In general terms, though
we would size your new solar system
to meet your daily average usage and appropriate
batteries to make sure your maximizing the benefit
your getting from solar power.
The important thing here is to make sure
your solar system is sized correctly.
Either your existing one or your new or added on one.
So you get the best value from your battery.
We can talk you through this on the phone or
via chat on our website, in about 5 minutes.
When your ready.
What available?
There are of course a number of different
products, technologies and suppliers of solar batteries.
Which makes the whole thing, very confusing.
It can sometimes be difficult to work out
what's right for you.
There are a number of battery products out there
where the battery is made by one company.
And the inverter and software that manages it
comes from another company.
This is usually called a DC coupled system.
Whilst it may have some minor advantages
to do with loss reduction etc.
You will find that most of the more established suppliers
avoid these.
The reason for this is if there is ever a problem
with the performance of the system
you can end up with a battery manufacture
and the inverter supplier pointing the finger
at each other, whilst the problem doesn't get fixed.
Believe me, we have experienced this enough
to be very very cautious about this.
We therefore only provide battery
storage, where the entire system is from one manufacture.
Which means that if there is ever a problem
we have one point of responsibility
so that we can make sure the battery keeps working
for its lifetime.
This narrows the field down to a handful
of products and brands.
The battery storage we like the most
is the one from Tesla, as in the cars.
We've looked at all the other options out there,
and have through our own experience
have found Tesla to be far and away
the leaders in terms of design,
smart software and really importantly,
they provide us with great support.
So that we can help our customers if needed.
The Tesla Powerwall has by far and away,
has the best software available.
That leaves all the others trying to catch up.
Believe me, one of the most important things
about battery storage is how smart they are.
As this maximizes the savings you get.
So, how much does a solar battery cost?
And how much will you save?
Tesla Powerwall costs with instillation and commissioning
Somewhere between thirteen and fifteen thousand dollars.
At the time of this filming.
Although this varies based on your location.
This is a 13.5 Kwh battery.
Its sized so it meets the needs of most households.
Although of course you can install more than one.
Also at 13.5kwh the Tesla Powerwall is probably the
least expensive per kwh battery on the market.
The answer to the question of how much it will save you?
Is a little more complicated.
Its different for every customer.
As it depends on a number of things such as,
were you live, your lifestyle,
the size of your solar system and your current energy plan.
The best way to find out, what you'd expect to save
is have quick discussion with one of our team.
They can run you through how to work this out,
again in about five minutes.
In another video, well talk about some of the
myths and misconceptions around solar battery storage.
Including, "Batteries are to expensive"
or, "They will be half the price in a year or two."
And, "They only have a limited lifespan."
In the meantime we have plenty of information
on our website.
Or if you prefer, book a call
with one of Solaray team to talk you through,
weather or not, solar batteries are right for you.
(Jazz/swing music)