Solar battery storage
A huge step towards energy independence: Solar Battery Storage lets you save up energy for the time you really need it and you can support the grid at peak times to further reduce your bills with Solar Grid Trading.
Adding Solar Battery Storage minimises your reliance on the grid, reduces the money you put in your energy supplier’s pocket and allows you to help the grid become more CO2e efficient. So what should you look out for when choosing a Solar Battery Storage solution? Here’s the questions you need to ask before making a decision.
The 6 ‘Watts?’ of Solar Battery Storage
1. What’s ‘Useable Capacity’?
Battery capacity is the amount of energy in kWh (units), that a battery can store.
However, some are misleadingly advertised quoting ‘Total Capacity’. Fully discharging any battery is damaging so there’s always a minimum charge state that is maintained. While some manufacturers advertise the Total Capacity, you may not be able to use all of it.
Look for the ‘Useable capacity’ figure, which may be buried in a datasheet or even stated as ‘Depth of Discharge’, which is usually measured as a percentage of the Total Capacity.
For example, Sigenergy’s SigenStor has an Advertised Capacity of 6kWh while it’s Useable Capcity is 5.8kWh.
2. What capacity do I need?
While your energy consumption and solar generation will have an influence, the most overlooked consideration is your own needs & desires. Naked Solar customers commonly consider one or all of the following that will all influcence their decision about how much Solar Battery Storage capacity is right for them.
- Minimising bills
- Quickest payback
- Utilising Solar Grid Trading
- Powercut cover
- Planning an EV
Many Solar Battery Storage solutions are expandable, allowing you to increase your capacity in the future to match changing energy demands. This can be an appealing opportunity to ‘dip your toe’ however there is a risk that Solar Battery Storage manufacturers update their products and upgrades to your system may not always be available in the future.
3. What’s covered by warranties?
Warranties can be a minefield in any industry and unfortunately, the Solar Battery Storage industry is no exception. There’s 3 elements to be aware of in Solar Battery Storage warranties.
- Product – Covers the intergrity and functionality of the physical unit itself. Labour may or may not be covered depending on the manufacturer.
- Warrantied Cycles – refers to the equivalant energy throughput of one full discharge, so you can multiply the Useable Capacity of the battery by the number of cycles warrantied to calculate how much energy it’s warrantied to deliver.
- Warrantied Capacity – As battery capacity degrades over time, Warrantied Capacity is the minimum amount of energy storage capacity guaranteed to be remaining by the manafucturer within the warranty period.
It’s important to note, Warranties are valid for whichever gaurantee is reached first, i.e 10 Years at 80% Capacity OR 3500 cycles.
4. What is forecasting?
Some Solar Battery technologies use smart software to make your battery system predictive, optimising its performance and maximising your savings.
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The battery might be kept slightly empty to ensure maximum solar capture on sunny days.
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The system might prioritise charging fully overnight using cheap grid power to ensure backup power is ready to prepare for a storm.
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The battery ensures it is discharged just before the most expensive period to maximise savings at peak tarriff time.
5. What about power cuts?
Most systems are designed just for storage. However, some offer backup capability to provide power when there’s a powercut. Two things to consider:
- To prevent damage to your battery or appliances some of your circuits may need to be removed from the backed up circuits.
- You may want to consider a larger storage capacity to keep some power in reserve.
If backup is essential, let us know and we’ll design some bespoke solutions for you to choose from.
6. What’s the right one for me?
We hope the our page helped provide you with some calrity on potential battery storage options.
If you’d like more information, our award-winning team would be delighted to help you find your perfect system, click the link below to register your inquiry.
Compare Solar Batteries
Use the table below to compare some of the battery systems available on the market. This information is for guidance only, it should be very close, so check with our friendly team at Naked Solar, or the manufacturer for latest info before making your final decision.
| Inverter Sizes | Advertised Capacity (Min-Max) | Useable Capacity | Product Warranty | Warrantied Capacity | Warrantied Cycles | Weather Forecasting/AI | Installed Price from | Full Home Powercut Cover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall 3 | 3.68 – 11kW | 13.5 – 54kWh | 13.5 – 54kWh | 10 yrs | 80% | Unlimited | Yes | £8,921 | + £568 |
| Sigenergy SigenStor | 3 – 12kW | 6 – 60kWh | 5.8 – 52.6kWh | 10 yrs | 60% | 3500 | Yes | £6,697 | + £1,798 |
| Fox ESS - ECS Series, EP5, EP11, EVO, PowerQ | 3 - 10.5kW | 5 - 41.9kWh | 4.66 - 37.7kWh | 12 yrs | 70% | 3375 | No | £5,655 | + £1,312 |
| Anker Solix X1 | 3.68 – 6kW | 5 – 30kWh | 5-30kWh | 10 yrs | 80% | 2634 | No | £6,330 | No |
| EcoFlow Power Ocean | 3 – 6kW | 5.1 – 15.3kWh | 4.8 - 15.5kWh | 15 yrs | 70% | 6000 | Yes | £6,120 | + £1,678 |
| SolarWatt (BMW) Vision | 3 – 6kW | 5.8 - 20.3kWh | 5.2 - 18.2kWh | 10 yrs | 70% | 4273 | Yes | £6,535 | No |
| GivEnergy – AIO, Giv-Bat | 3 – 6kW | 5.2 - 28.5kWh | 4.8 - 28.5kWh | 12 yrs | 70% | Unlimited | No | £6,346 | + £1,600 |
| Enphase IQ Battery | 3.68 (3.2)kW | 5kWh | 5kWh | 15 yrs | 70% | 6000 | No | £3,715 | No |
How Solar Batteries Help You Night & Day
People often ask ‘Can solar panels work at night?’ The short answer is no. But with a solar battery, in effect they do.
During the day, when solar panels are generating more power than your property is using, excess power is diverted to the solar battery for use later. When the sun goes down, or if you’re using more energy than your panels are providing, the solar battery will kick in to give you power and prevent drawing from the grid.
Modern Time-of-Day (ToD) tariffs maximise your savings by treating your battery as a trading asset. Your system automatically charges on cheap overnight rates (2 am-5 am) and exports stored energy to the grid at the most profitable peak rates (4 pm-7 pm), maximising your return with Solar Grid Trading.
Dive Deeper Into Solar Battery Storage
TESLA POWERWALL 3
The Powerwall has transformed Solar for good. Tesla Powerwall 3 brings groundbreaking advancements that set a new benchmark for Solar Battery Storage systems, including unrivalled power output and exceptional flexibility to meet the needs of any Solar project.
SIGENERGY SIGENSTOR
SigenStor is an all-in-one smart energy solution designed to supercharge your home’s solar system. This single, sleek unit combines everything you need: a solar inverter, EV DC charger, battery pack, power conversion system, and energy management system.
Powered by AI, the SigenStor is a highly integrated and intelligent system that optimizes your home’s energy usage, making it an excellent choice for any homeowner seeking to upgrade their solar power.
GIVENERGY ALL IN ONE
GivEnergy is a British Owned Battery Storage Manufacturer with manufacturing/Research and Development facilities in the UK, Ireland, Australia and Shenzhen China (Shenzhen Givenergy Technology Co., Ltd). Their “All In One” Home Battery can power even the highest-demand households with maximum efficiency and minimum energy costs, making them a Tesla Powerwall alternative UK residents love.
