Battery Storage
Saving you money on your energy bills
Battery Storage systems are a great way to increase your independence from the grid. They allow you to store electricity from Solar PV, or the national grid.
Total Renewables UK LTD are able to offer a range of solutions to meet your needs when it comes to battery storage. Working into one of our complete packages with a Solar PV installation remains the most cost effective method, however battery storage systems can be retrofitted to an existing Solar PV system. If that existing system is supported by the Feed-in-Tariff, a battery storage system will not affect the tariff.
The normal peak generation point for Solar PV is while the property is unoccupied, with adults at work, and children at school. Without battery storage, this electricity which is generated is being given to the national grid for free, or if under the Smart Export Guarantee, at a very low unit rate. Capturing this energy now moves that generation to a point of the day when the household can actively use it, or transfer it.
Our Battery Storage Work
We always recommend to our clients that they start small when it comes to considering battery storage. Domestically, a 7-10 Kilowatt-hour (kWh) is an excellent base point. It is not practical to determine every appliance within a property for load and duration of use, so we take advantage of data taken over an annual period from the monitoring platform. Carefully calculating the annual generation and capacity of the battery storage over the demand of the property tells us if additional storage could be sustained. If it could, an additional battery might be an option.
During winter months, when generation is at its lowest level, the option to off peak top up charge is proving to be cost effective even on today's ever increasing energy tariffs. Many of our systems support this option, and allow tailoring of the energy use, either by the client, or us.
Battery Storage and Solar PV
The move into battery storage is inevitable, as consumers strive to utilise more and more of the energy they generate. The PV future will see battery storage become part of every domestic PV system, and with commercial consumers looking to become more energy conscience, there is no better solution. All of our in-house designed solar PV systems are capable of additional battery storage, with battery ranges for any budget and size. Our battery ranges are modular, meaning batteries can be introduced at a low capacity level, and increased over time to perfectly match the use of the property and occupants.
Introducing battery storage at the same time as installing a Solar PV system will see the added benefit of a lower installation cost. Alternative products can be selected to achieve the maximum efficiency in the charge cycle and energy capture. Both AC and DC battery storage is an option, and the advantages and disadvantages for either method are equal to each other. .
Battery storage can also take advantage of off-peak, or lower tariff rates, but allowing an additional grid supply charge. Some energy suppliers offer a third, lower, off-peak rate. This can additionally be used for battery charging, giving a fully useable battery for the next morning when the energy rates would be higher. Utilising this also means battery storage can not only be fitted to Solar PV systems, but stand alone options utilising only grid energy to charge too.
Battery storage can be retro fitted to almost any existing solar PV system. If you are considering battery storage, talk to our technical representative, who is willing to offer advice and support.