Home storage battery systems increase households’ electricity self-consumption using rooftop solar systems. Even though it has positive financial returns, the high investment cost is preventing the homeowners from installing it. But home storage battery installation remarkably increased in Australia because of feed-in tariff reductions, climate change awareness, etc. Australia is one of the key markets for home battery storage manufacturers.
If you have solar panels on your roof and want to take full advantage of their output, use the best solar battery to store unused electricity. Certainly, this is an effective way to save yourself from power disruptions, load shifting, and be independent of grid electricity.
Solar panels alone will not help you have backup power if the grid goes down. Storage batteries + solar panels will allow to capture and store unused solar power produced during the day to use the excess on peak time, at nights, and on low sunny days. Using excess electricity from your battery can be cheaper than grid electricity. But, how worthy are these home storage solutions in Australia? Let’s dive into details.
Is getting a storage battery a good idea?
Battery storage, a simple solution to store energy for later use. Despite having the best solar panels on your rooftop from a reputed brand, they generate power only when the sun is shining. All the energy generated during the day would get wasted. That’s why adding a battery to your system can store excess power, which will power your home and other appliances.
With plenty of home storage options in Australia, like the Tesla Powerwall Home Battery System, which allows you to store a significant amount of solar energy for later use. Depending on the energy consumption pattern, you can choose to invest in a suitable storage battery solution that makes a lot of sense. Some families use more power in the evening, others during the day, and rarely in the evening. So, analyse to see how much you’re spending on electricity.
Here are four ways to power your home for electricity supply:
- Grid-connected solar + battery (aka “hybrid” systems) – Homes have solar panels, a battery, a hybrid inverter, plus a connection to the main electricity grid. Home uses solar power first, stores excess in the battery. At night or on low sunny days, the home draws power from the battery and as a last, resort from the grid.
- Off-grid system – This system has no connection to on-grid power. The complete house is powered with solar energy and the battery is usually a diesel-powered generator. They need more solar and battery capacity with higher load inverters to cope with peak demands.
- Grid-connected (no solar) – It is the most basic setup. The home has no solar panels or battery connected, purely depends on the grid.
- Grid-connected solar (no battery) – Solar panels power during the day and resort to grid power for extra electricity needed on low-sunlight days and at night.
When do solar battery systems payback?
The solar payback period can be as short as 5 years and long as 16 years. “Solar panel payback period” is the amount of time required to completely pay off your solar power system through savings on your electricity bill.
It is calculated by taking the total cost to install the system, then subtracting solar incentives and/or rebates, and monthly electric bill savings until the total cost has been paid off. The factors that influence your solar payback period are:
- Average electricity usage for your home
- Total system cost before incentives
- Solar incentives, rebates, and the federal tax credit
- Energy production from your solar system
- Cost of electricity and rate of increase in that cost
Unfortunately, the solar payback time frame may not be the same as electricity rates increase over time.
What are the critical things you need to know when buying a battery?
Storing solar power has become a smart investment for many households in Australia. The average cost of a battery is around $1000 per kWh of battery storage. However, it varies from supplier to supplier. Solar batteries come with all kinds of specifications, here are three things you should know
Quality of the battery – Generally, lithium-based batteries are a good fit for solar systems than lead-acid batteries. The capacity of lithium batteries is higher and can store more power to deliver quality output. Higher capacity combined with high power means this system can power more home appliances for a longer duration.
Size of the battery – The size of a battery depends on the battery’s capacity to store and supply electricity to your home. Be sure to know your energy consumption pattern to choose the right-sized battery. A lithium battery is more than 90% efficient with little loss.
The technology – Based on the latest technology, many batteries are being developed for the storage of energy. Look for batteries that have long life cycles and promise higher performance.
Best Home Storage Batteries In Australia
To kick start the home energy storage transition, consider batteries that enable backup power in the event of a blackout. With various best solar batteries in the market, ensure to pick up a battery that meets your specific requirements. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. According to solar array size, system type (on-grid or off-grid), backup power requirements, evening or overnight consumption, the best batteries are
- Sungrow SBP4K8, the best small battery up to 5kWh
- BYD LVS & LVL, the best Low-voltage modular battery system, 4kWh to 256kWh
- Huawei LUNA2000, the best High-voltage modular battery system, 5kWh to 30kWh
- Tesla Powerwall, best AC-coupled battery system (retrofit), 13.5kWh (max 3 modules)
- PowerPlus Life Premium, the best off-grid battery system (stand-alone), 3.3kWh to 500kWh
- Redback Smart Hybrid, the best all-in-one solar battery system (BESS), 4.8kWh to 11.4kWh
With all mentioned, do you think storage battery becomes a better option? It seems that many households are satisfied with home storage solutions so far, especially with reliable brands. More about home batteries
How much does it cost to install a home storage battery in Australia?
The price of a home storage battery is depending upon the quality as well as the technology. The most popular solar system in Australia is a 6.6 kW solar system, 5kW inverter, and 10kWh battery. A 10kWh battery and installation may cost around $8000 to $12000.
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