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You won't need to replenish a fuel source (like you would with a generator), and there's no need for regular maintenance. However, the technology appears promising, and it could become more widely used in residential battery backup systems in the near future.Īfter the initial setup, there's little maintenance required on a battery backup system.
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Flow batteriesįlow batteries (or redox flow batteries) are less common in home systems since they're mainly designed for commercial use. They're cheaper than lithium-ion, but they aren't as efficient, which means they're best suited for small systems. Lead-acid batteries have been used for hundreds of years and are the primary type of battery used in cars. They're lightweight and energy-efficient, making them perfect for home use. Most of today's popular battery backup products are lithium-ion, including the Tesla Powerwall, Panasonic EverVolt and Generac PWRcell. Lithium-ion batteries are the most common for home systems. There are several kinds of batteries used in battery backup systems, including lithium-ion, lead-acid and flow batteries. Expensive, sometimes as much as a solar system.This is especially critical if you live somewhere with frequent outages or blackouts. For starters, they help you gain energy independence, so you don't have to rely on the public power grid. Whether you have solar panels or not, battery backups offer plenty of benefits. Use battery during time of use rate spikes: If you live in an area where electricity rates vary with the time of day, you can configure your system to use battery backup at the most expensive times and to buy electricity from the grid at the least expensive times.īenefits and drawbacks of battery backup systems
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This is useful when in an area that is "off-grid," away from electrical utilities.Ĭonnect your solar panels to a solar battery system and to the grid : You can choose to fill your battery and just keep it as a backup, rarely discharging it, and mostly selling and buying excess electricity from the electric company. You have three main options:Ĭonnect to your solar panels: Batteries connected to solar panels will fill and discharge frequently in response to the times without sun that you still want electricity. The way you configure your solar battery system affects how it works.
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