Solar & Energy
Battery Storage
Creating free solar energy has one shortcoming - it obviously only works during sunshine hours. However, the growing availability of consumer battery storage solutions directly addresses this gap.
Battery storage is really the missing piece to the solar energy "puzzle". Being limited to daylight hours, solar panels alone cannot be considered a complete electricity supply solution. However, when paired with a battery the potential of a solar array can be fully realised.
There are two broad types of battery storage systems – grid-tied and off-grid.
Grid-tied Battery Storage
When a solar energy solution is grid-tied, it supplements the energy supplied by electricity retailers over the electricity mains supply. A battery provides the flexibility to store excess electricity produced during daylight hours, for use after sunset thus delaying, or eliminating completely, the consumption of the comparatively expensive retailer supplied electricity. Grid-tied battery storage ensures that the retailer becomes the supplier of last resort, who is only called upon if they are required.
A grid-tied battery storage system also allows consumers to take advantage of cheap night-rate power by taking electricity from the retailer overnight and then making it available to the household the following day when electricity prices are at their peak - especially useful during winter months when the days are shorter.
Off-grid Battery Storage
Going off-grid involves becoming completely self-sufficient in terms of electricity production and is increasingly common in remote rural areas where the cost of a fixed line electricity supply is prohibitive. Under this scenario the battery storage system becomes the primary supplier of electricity and is critical for continuous 24-hour consumption. The capacity of an off-grid solution will typically be larger than grid-tied as there is no electricity supplier to fall back on, although many choose to use a generator to provide a backup boost in periods of high electricity usage.
Grid-tied and off-grid battery storage have quite different requirements, Warm and Cool supplies world-class solutions for each scenario. Our consultants will help you specify a suitable sized system that is reliable and fit for purpose.