Find a Solar Panel Installer you can trust in Stirlingshire.

Whether solar panel batteries are worth it depends on how much you’re at home and how big your solar panel system is. If you’re at home most of the day and your solar panels only generate enough electricity for you to use while for that day, then a battery probably isn’t worth investing in. However, if you have a large system that generates more than you can use or you’re out most of the day, then solar panel batteries are definitely worth it.

A solar battery storage system works by storing the electricity that your solar panels generated until you need to use it. That’s why they’re great for people that are out all day – your solar panels generate electricity all day whilst the sun’s out, but no one’s home so you’re using minimal energy except for things like your fridge and any appliances on standby. Most of the electricity charges your solar panel battery. Then, when you get home, your battery will discharge, and you’ll use all the solar electricity that your panels generated during the day.

Solar batteries are also excellent for people with large solar panel systems that generate more than they use in the day. Any electricity that you don’t use during the day will charge the battery, so in the evening when the sun goes down, you’ll just use the excess electricity that’s stored in the battery.

To work out whether solar panel batteries are worth it for you, you’ll need to work out how much of your solar electricity you’re using already. If you’re at home and you’re able to run your appliances all while your solar panels are generating electricity, a battery might not be worth it. Also, if you’re receiving export payments from the Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FITs) or the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you might want to look at the rate you’re getting paid. If it’s a good rate, it might be more cost-effective to continue exporting unused electricity to the grid. Speak to an MCS-registered installer that will be able to help you work this out.

How Do Solar Panels And Batteries Work Together?

With solar panel system rapidly becoming an ubiquitous phenomenon within the modern society, several homeowners in the UK are just coming to terms with the numerous benefits offered by the system. The solar power’s popularity has even led to the rise of another renewable technology - solar batteries able to store excess solar power that can be used later. Now several companies such as Tesla are now building solar batteries that can be fitted alongside solar panels for your building. So how exactly do solar panels and batteries work together? Let’s have a look!

Solar panels make use of the sun light to generate electricity and as a result, they can’t function when sunlight is absent - giving a big issue of how to power your house when it’s dark. In the event whereby this occurs, you’re afforded two options which is either to contact energy providers to buy electricity or purchase a battery storage system.

So what’s the function of the battery storage system? Basically when your solar panel provides electricity which is not needed right away, a solar battery will work to convert the DC electricity into AC energy which is going to be stored for later use (when you actually need it). in other words, your solar panels charge the batteries when you do not require the energy they’re generating right away.

As a result, when it’s dark and the solar panels are no longer functioning, your system will tap into the energy that’s already been stored by your battery for later use. This way, you can be totally independent of the National Grid, which implies more savings on your electricity bills.

If you’re thinking about getting a solar thermal system for your home, it’s normal to consider the possibility of using the system for central heating. So is this viable? In this article, you’ll learn how solar thermal panels can be incorporated for heating. Let’s have a closer look!

Heating and hot water systems, on the average, takes up a sizeable part ( up to 70 percent) of our energy bills. Now take a moment to imagine how cool it’ll be to generate your own hot water for free without having to depend on any supplier which in turn significantly reduces your energy bills. Well, this is exactly the work of central heating systems that are powered by solar. That’s super cool, right? Well, let’s have a look at how this works.

While solar panels generates electricity, solar thermal panels produces heat for hot water production. However, what’s important is the fact that they both make use of the sun’s natural energy to provide us with a free and renewable energy we can use in our homes. Here’s how it works.

Solar thermal panels directed at central heating incorporates the sun’s natural energy to heat water in a storage cylinder which is then available for use at home. These solar thermal panels are exposed to the sunlight by fitting them on the roof of the home. Generally, they’ll include tubes that contains liquid whose job is to collect the heat and then transfer it to a hot water cylinder that’s solar compatible in your home. The heat is generated for free and is also renewable. This is help you save lots of money on oil, gas and even electricity which you purchase to power the cylinder.

Solar cells , also referred to as photovoltaic cells (PV), absorbs energy from the sun and converts it to generate electricity. This, however, should not be confused with photovoltaic thermal cells or PVT which operates to generate heat for water in homes. Solar cells are linked electrically and also carefully organized into a large frame which is popularly called solar panels. Generally, solar cells are produced or made of silicon semi conductors which works to absorb sunlight and then turn it into electricity for use at a home. A solar panel comprises of either 60 or 72 solar cells which are electrically interconnected in series and parallel and also positioned in between glass and plastic which is then framed.

At present, solar panels incorporated for residential or domestic purposes only possesses the capacity to make use of only about 20 percent of the sunlight they’re able to absorb and convert it to electricity - also called solar efficiency. Available in the market are also a wide range of solar cell available for both industrial and commercial purposes. This type of solar panels have an efficiency rating of about 40 percent which will also automatically make them more costly than the domestic types.

One great thing about the solar industry is the fact that it keeps improving in such a way that raises both its efficiency as well as overall quality. And with further research and development, this is expected to even increase as the years go by. What’s more? As these aspects keep rising, it’s also expected that the solar panels price should be on a decrease. That way, they’ll become available to a wider range of individuals who’ll also like to save money on electricity bills and go greener.

Most people want to connect solar panels to a battery when they’re not at home all day to use the electricity they generate, or generate more than they consume over a day. Solar batteries are a great way to maximise the savings on your energy bills since you can use every unit of electricity you generate.

If you want to connect your solar panels to a battery, the best – and safest – way is to ask an MCS-registered company to do it for you. They’ve had lots of training and hold qualifications in handling electricity and installing solar batteries, so they will be able to recommend the best battery for your solar panels and for the among of electricity you use. Some of the brands they might recommend include Tesla, SolarEdge and SolaX, but there are many more to choose from. If you want to send electricity to the grid from your battery to receive Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) payments, it’s also worth leaving installation up to a registered installer. This is because you might not be eligible for payments if your battery wasn’t installed by an MCS-registered company.

However, if you do want to have a go at connecting your solar panels to a battery, it’s worth finding out whether your system is ‘storage ready’. Most relatively new systems will be, since batteries are becoming more commonplace. If your solar panels are storage ready, they will have an inverter that can easily have a battery added to it. If this is the case, then you should be able to buy the solar battery you want and follow the manufacturer's instructions to install it.

But it’s worth remembering that electricity is extremely dangerous when handled improperly. If you don’t get the solar battery connected properly and something goes wrong, it could cause a fire or you could electrocute yourself. If a fire breaks out due to your battery, it’s unlikely that your home insurance company would pay out since you connected the battery yourself. That’s why it’s always worth speaking to a registered installer to install a solar battery storage system for you.

The more you’re at home during the day, the more you can save on your electricity bill, since solar panels generate electricity during the day. The Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) ended in March 2019, but the new Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) pays you, via your energy supplier, for the electricity you export back to the grid. With the savings involved in generating your own electricity and SEG payments, you can expect to save up to £390 per year on your electricity bill.