If you are installing a solar panel, you need to decide if you also want to install an energy storage option, so you don't have to sell the energy back to the electrical company or use it as it is generated.
Solar Panels Don't Need A Home Battery
You do not need a home battery if you have a solar panel system. You can have your system set up so that you are either using the electricity directly as it is generated or selling it back to the electrical company as you generate the power. However, having a home battery is a great feature if you have solar panels. Having a home battery allows you to save the energy that your solar panels create. It allows you to access your own power when the sun is down to run your home.
A Home Battery Can Last Forever
A home battery can last forever when you pair it with a solar panel. During the day, when your solar panels are working their hardest, they will send energy to your home battery and recharge it. Then, at night, when your solar panels are not creating a lot of energy, the battery will be discharged as you use energy at night. The battery can be used again and again when you hook it up to your solar panels.
Home Batteries Can Store Different Energy Levels
Home batteries have different energy levels. You can purchase home batteries that are capable of storing a little bit of energy or a lot of energy. You want to figure out how much energy your solar panels create each day, and purchase a battery that can store that amount of energy. If your battery stores less energy that you make each day, you are losing energy on a daily basis.
You want your home battery to be capable of storing at least the maximum amount of energy you make in one day. You can also purchase a home battery that stores more than one days' worth of energy. This could be worthwhile if you have really high and low energy producing days and you don't want to rely on the local power grid for your power needs.
Cost Evens Out Over Time
Home batteries are generally more expensive upfront than generators. However, over time, the cost of maintaining a home battery makes it more affordable than a generator. Once you purchase a home battery, it doesn't need fuel or requires maintenance. A generator, on the other hand, requires a constant fuel supply. A generator also requires yearly maintenance to keep everything working properly.
A home battery is a great way to harvest the energy from your solar panels for your own use when the sun is down and for cloudy and low-energy producing days.