Those of you who have been around me or this blog for the past few years know that I’m a fan of tech, green energy, electric vehicles, and of course solar power. At the end of 2019, I went solar and documented it here. My electric bill dropped by more than half and I’ve been very happy with my system. No complaints. It just works! However, there was something that I knew I would ultimately want to complete the system and I mentioned it back then. battery storage!

A solar system without battery storage will only go so far

Adding solar panels to your home will almost immediately start paying off by reducing or even eliminating the power you need from the grid. That’s the upside! However, unless your system is PERFECTLY designed to match your energy needs AND you’re on a Net Metering Plan, you’re going to either overproduce or underproduce power. There will be times throughout the day when you may even be doing both.

For example, let’s say it’s an extremely sunny day and nobody is home. That means that your system is likely producing more power than your home is consuming at that moment. Where does that excess energy go? Back to the grid. Depending on your power company you may or may not be able to take advantage of that excess power.