How does a solar battery work?

Over 3 million Australian households have installed solar on their property and are enjoying the benefits of generating their own electricity. Adding a solar battery system to the existing solar setup has its own benefits including becoming self-reliant for energy needs. To help you understand this further, we’ve created this article to help answer common questions about solar panel battery storage, including how it works with an existing solar system in your home.

How a solar battery works with solar panels?

In a typical home with existing solar panels, part, or all of your energy usage may come from solar generation while the sun is shining during the day. Any excess solar energy that is generated (and unused) is exported back to the grid in exchange for a feed-in tariff (FiT) that is credited to your bill (but this payment depends on the energy plan you are on). The feed-in tariff has declined over time. This means it can be more economical to store the energy for future use instead of exporting back to the grid. This is where a solar battery comes into play.

When you add a battery to an existing home solar system, the excess solar energy that isn’t used during the day can be used to charge your battery. Energy stored in your solar battery can then be used to power your household, for future use. This stored energy is particularly helpful when your solar panels are not generating enough, and you need to rely on the energy from the grid. In addition, it comes in very handy during those infrequent blackouts, helping you keep the lights on.

Below, we’ve listed how battery storage would work during the day and night:

During the day

Solar panels  absorb sunlight (UV rays)
Solar energy travels as Direct Current (DC) through the  solar inverter so it can be converted into alternating current (AC) energy that your appliances use
The switchboard will then direct solar energy to where it’s needed. It will power the appliances in your home, then direct any excess energy to the battery inverter
The battery inverter converts any excess energy captured into a form of energy that can be stored
The battery stores the excess energy to use in peak periods, or when the sun goes down

At night

Your solar panels will stop generating energy, allowing the household to switch to stored battery energy.

The  battery will send the excess energy stored to the battery inverter
The  battery inverter will then convert the energy stored in your battery to direct current (DC) energy for your appliances
The switchboard will direct the DC energy to your chosen appliances
When your battery charge runs out, the grid will kick in and replace it to continue providing energy to your appliances