Why solar batteries are the ultimate solution for future proofing your home

Whether you have solar panels installed, or you’ve been considering a solar power solution for your home, it’s likely that you’ve come across the term ‘hybrid solar’. Hybrid solar is achieved by adding a battery to a solar power system. The battery then collects and stores any excess power generated by your solar panels for later use.

Where the traditional grid-connected solar power system sends any excess power to the grid, and then draws power from the grid at night, a hybrid solar system allows you to continue to run your household off renewable energy when power generation is low.

Lawrence Sunz, owner of Sunz Solar Energy Systems and expert in residential solar power systems, says there’s two main motivations for adding a battery to your grid-connected solar power system.

“The first motivator is self-consumption. If you want to use more of your own power, rather than exporting it to the grid, you can install a self-consumption battery. The second is emergency power; if you still want to power your fridge, freezer, or water pump when the national grid goes out, we can recommend a different battery that is designed to handle high surge loads and has a warranty to run off-grid.”

Depending on your motivation and lifestyle, the Sunz team is able to determine the right kind of system for you.

“There's about four or five different batteries that we use, so in the initial consultation we learn what [the client] is trying to achieve, and then we design the system around it,” Sunz explains.

While there are substantial set-up costs involved, a hybrid solar system offers the potential for decent long-term savings as grid power prices increase.

“Within two or three years, particularly with the electrification of the vehicle network, power pricing will need to increase to meet demand. That’s when having batteries will be really beneficial,” Sunz explains.

If you have a traditional grid-connected system, you still have to draw power from the national grid when your solar generation is low. And, while there is the opportunity to offset this cost when excess power you generate is sent to the grid, this tends to be credited to your account at a considerably lower rate than what you spend drawing power from the grid at peak times.

By installing a battery, you’re able to store the power you generate during the day to use in the morning and evening when power prices are highest, and generation is lowest.

Aside from the financial benefits, hybrid solar systems help to reduce your carbon footprint by running your home entirely on renewable energy. And, when the national grid goes down, a hybrid solar system with an off-grid battery provides a reliable source of power, so you can continue running your fridge, appliances, and water pumps like normal.

For those in the process of building, Sunz recommends planning ahead so you can easily install a battery in the future.

“When the electrician is doing the wiring plan, make sure that the fridge, freezer, Wi Fi router, garage door opener, and alarm security system are all on the same circuit so that when you go to install batteries later on, you’re not having to rewire to make it all work.”

Learn more about Hybrid Solar Systems for your home or building project.