What is a Solar Inverter With Battery?
A solar inverter with battery converts DC electricity from your rooftop PV panels into AC power that your household uses. The inverter also monitors your system and ensures that the DC energy doesn’t flow into external power lines.
It’s possible to add a solar inverter with battery battery with any type of inverter, but the right size is key to getting the most value out of it. Your local installer can help you weigh your options.
Solar Panels
Solar panels convert sunlight into DC energy that your home’s power system uses. They are small silicon squares with contact plates on their faces that convert photons to electricity, which then flows through your wiring and into your house. Solar panels come with 25-year warranties and typically produce at 80% efficiency for as long as you own them. Solar panels are not as effective in hot climates, since their output decreases with higher temperatures.
A solar power inverter converts the DC energy from solar panels into AC energy for use throughout your home. Most solar power inverters are designed with a maximum input power that is lower than your solar panel’s peak output to prevent clipping, which occurs when the inverter cannot handle a solar panel’s full output capacity. You should also look for an inverter with a CEC (California Energy Commission) efficiency rating or a European equivalent.
If your home is in an area with frequent shading, it may be worth investing in a microinverter system, which installs individual inverters on each solar panel to ensure all panels receive equal amounts of sunlight. A grid-tied hybrid inverter can integrate storage and help you manage your relationship with the electricity grid through net metering, time of day rates, and other programs.
A battery-integrated inverter is a new entrant into the market that allows you to add a battery at any point without paying for expensive main panel upgrades. A hybrid inverter can also be used to store energy and provide backup when the grid is down or if you want to go off-grid.
Inverter
Solar inverters are a key component of grid-tied and off-grid photovoltaic systems. They are responsible for many of the active processes (such as maximum power point tracking, battery charging, and grid following) that are used to maximise the efficiency of solar PV and battery systems. Inverters also provide multiple safety features (such as polarity protection and reverse battery protection).
In a solar system, an inverter converts direct current from your PV panels into alternating current that can be used by appliances. This is important because most household appliances require AC electricity to operate. The inverter also adds a voltage boost to increase the energy output from your batteries and improves the quality of the electrical output by turning the square-wave shape of DC into a smooth, clean sine wave.
There are many different inverters on the market, ranging from traditional string and microinverters to more advanced hybrid inverters. Some are battery-ready, meaning they can be installed with a solar panel system without requiring the addition of a separate battery. However, it is essential to ensure your solar inverter is sized correctly for the amount of energy you expect to generate and consume throughout the year and that it is capable of handling battery storage if you choose to upgrade your system with a storage solution in the future.
Battery
Solar panels produce direct current at a voltage that is determined by the panel design and lighting conditions. The battery stores this energy and it can be accessed when the sun is not shining. A solar inverter with battery will convert the DC current from the batteries to household AC current. It can also be programmed to sell power back to the grid.
Connect the battery to a charge controller before connecting it to the inverter. The charge controller will average out the voltage fluctuations from the panels and output a steady charging voltage to the batteries. It will also protect the battery from overcharging and the panels from current back flow. Connect the charge controller to the inverter with battery cables (see our video). Keep these wires as short as possible to reduce resistance and failure points. A DC disconnect between the batteries and inverter is also recommended.
An inverter with battery is an optional add-on to a solar system for those who want backup power for those cloudy days or nighttime use. It can also be used in conjunction with a hybrid inverter to merge power from your house, the utility grid and your solar battery storage. Smart inverters with battery management are becoming increasingly common for solar-plus-storage solutions. These all-in-one units are highly versatile and can be used for grid-tied, stand-alone or backup applications.
Monitoring
Most hybrid solar inverters have a built-in monitoring system which lets you track energy production and consumption online via your phone or tablet. This makes it easy to see how your system is working so you can identify problems when they arise. Some also let you check your electricity usage and generation at the switchboard and notify you of a power outage from your utility provider.
If you have a household that doesn’t ALL-IN-ONE SOLARSTREETLIGHT use all of the solar energy you generate, your inverter can send surplus power back to the grid. That way you can earn extra electricity credits on your next bill. Hybrid inverters with MPPT technologies do this at the panel level to maximise solar power output.
Dedicated battery monitors give you a more detailed picture of your battery’s performance. They can give you data down to the cell level and show the state of charge at a glance. If you decide to go with an inverter based system that includes monitoring, speak to your solar electrician about the best option for your installation.
The simplest method of connecting a monitor to your system is by using an isolator and running the link cable from your PV to your inverter through the isolator, then from your inverter into a separate box that will house the c.t.
