Storing solar energy in batteries is a growing topic of interest amongst many Australian consumers today, as both an economical and environmental choice of powering your house. Solar powering can be split up into two different setups: ‘off-grid’ and ‘hybrid’. ‘Off-grid’ solar systems are systems that are not connected to the grid, and therefore work as a self-sufficient system – producing all the power being used. A hybrid system is one that is connected to the grid but will utilize the power generated from the panels before taking anything from the grid. For the sake of this article, we will only talk about hybrid setups, as off-grid setups are too expensive to be seriously considered for any household in most suburbs in Australia (not cost-efficient).
One of the main parts of a hybrid system is a solar battery. A solar battery captures and stores any unused energy generated during the day, for later use during the night or low-sunlight days. In saying this, the development of efficient energy-storing batteries is still being worked on, leading to one of the main questions regarding home battery storage; is the purchase worth it or not? The continuous improvement of technology is presenting new upgrades to both solar panels and their batteries, making them more durable and cost-effective. In this article, we will present you with the facts around the advancement around solar powering to answer the question of whether it is a good investment or not.
Before, now and in the future
Home battery storage is something that has been used in remote properties over the past couple of years, but is still a fairly new concept; thus, it is not used too regularly across the Australian landscape of solar-powered housing. Although the concept is relatively new, it is becoming increasingly common and popular to install solar panels with the addition of a battery – especially in consideration to the implemented rebates and subsidies made by the government. We predict that as technology improves over the next couple of years, the majority of solar-powered houses will use batteries, gaining independence from the grid and possibly even be able to write off a chunk of the electrical bill on tariffs (will come back to later). Solar panels and batteries are undoubtedly the future of powering your house.
Types of batteries
Lithium-ion
Lithium-ion is one of the most common battery installed with people’s solar systems today and is also the most common battery found in modern smartphones and laptops. One of the main benefits with this battery-type is their ability to be discharged heavily (80-90% of their overall capacity). Discharging relates to the opposite of charging – rather than storing battery, you are using it. This type of battery also has a long lifespan, stretching for up to 10+ years. Unfortunately, there is a downside to lithium-ion batteries, and that is in regard to their end of life usefulness. As lithium batteries come to an end, there is a problem with disposal of the toxic metal, and especially within the development of recycling processes. It is hypothesized, though, that the increased use of lithium batteries globally will cause large-scale recycling programs to be implemented, assisting in disposing, or re-using materials for a more environmentally friendly approach to energy-saving.
Lead-acid (lead carbon)
Lead-acid batteries are one of the old school ways of storing energy and is mostly seen as the main type of battery used in cars, with established processes for disposing and recycling. This type of battery is a more cost-effective alternative upfront but is known to have issues regarding the need of regular maintenance to keep running properly. Lead-acid batteries are also known to have a shorter lifespan than its competitor – lithium-ion – making it a poor rival in the fight for effective solutions to home battery storage.
Flow-battery
Flow-battery is one of the main competitors and most promising alternatives to lithium-ion. They have an established process for recycling, lifespan of 10+ years, and an ability to discharge up to 100% - making for a tough competitor amongst the types of batteries. However, due to being a new technology, the price of flow-batteries is more expensive than that of lithium-ion. Additionally, they require frequent maintenance and do not tolerate cold too well (below 15°C), causing problems in many areas of Australia.
Benefits and disadvantages
Buying solar batteries have both advantages and disadvantages regarding price, as well as environmental friendliness. It is clear that investing in solar panels is economically and environmentally friendly, especially when considering the government rebate schemes and the feed-in tariff. The feed-in tariffs ensure that you get paid for the exchange of taking excessive power gained from your house into the grid, enabling for an opportunity cost. Moreover, solar power storing batteries have also shown to be a great economical solution for households exposed to a lot of sunny weather, but are unfortunately not the most environmentally friendly. As mentioned, lithium-ion is one of the most commonly used battery-types due to its reliability and lifespan, but unfortunately has issues in regard to the development of processes around disposal and recycling. Despite this, our day-to-day lives are consistently replacing the use of fossil-fuels with batteries, and it is likely that we will see a development in the field of recycling in the coming years.
Conclusion
It is clear to us that the recent advancements taken place in the development of solar battery storage has come to the tipping point of being a worthy investment. Throughout the last years, a heap of battery-producing competitors have fallen out of the game due to unreliable batteries. This has consequently resulted in the remaining brands to have a trustworthy product that gives the ROI (Return on Investment) that most consumers going into solar energy are looking for. Additionally, these products are constantly in development, as the competitors are looking to provide the best product for a relatively new market – causing the efficiency and quality of products to increase exponentially over time.
The key to getting the most out of your battery is by pairing it with high quality solar panels. Shop around for great panels before you purchase a battery.