Solar 101: Batteries and Storage

Solar 101: Batteries and Storage

Renewable energy and energy storage go hand in hand. Variable renewable energy can greatly benefit from storing energy to use at a later time. However, storage can have a much bigger impact on the grid than one would think and it’s not ONLY useful for outages or renewable energy.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island are two states that understand the economic benefits of energy storage and are investing in it now. National Grid is offering the Connected Solutions Battery Program that provides incentives for residents and businesses that have storage systems to release energy into the grid during peak hours of the day. They would be compensated for the energy they release and save thousands as well as overall lowering other people’s electric bills. Massachusetts has an incentive program that offers ratepayers with energy storage $225 per kW in the summer, and Rhode Island offers $400 per kW. Purchasing a home battery can cost around $8,000, but participating in one of these programs for five years could cover the entire cost of the battery.

Why is energy storage important? Storage technologies can provide an almost immediate response to changes in demand on the grid. Both supply and demand for power on the electric grid must be equal at all times, which is a very difficult balance. It is a science guessing how much electricity consumers will use on a particular day, and unexpected weather can throw off these numbers. When people use more energy than anticipated it can cost thousands of dollars to turn on something called a peaker plant– which is a power plant used only a few days a year when more electricity is needed. Building and operating a plant that only runs a few days a year can cost millions.

What consumers don’t realize is that they pay for that. It would seem as though putting more energy on the grid than needed would be the solution, but too much congestion on the grid can cause a multitude of problems that could also lead to outages. Energy storage can be quickly implemented when more energy is needed on the grid. This would eliminate the need for costly peaker plants and potential outages. Storage can be used not only when the power goes out, but to lower the cost of electricity as well.

Storage also smooths out electric supply from variable sources such as wind and solar. Solar panels generally produce much more energy during the day than a household or business uses. At night, they do not have sunlight so if no storage is implemented, the building will draw electricity from the grid. With storage, a battery can hold excess electricity generated throughout the day and use the energy at night.

New York plans to have a 316 MW storage system built in Queens. Florida has planned to install a 409 MW battery storage facility for a solar farm, which when installed will be the largest battery storage system in the world.

Now familiarized with the importance and relevance of energy storage, we wanted to highlight that it is far more than just AA batteries we are talking about. There are many different types of storage that can be utilized.

Companies like Tesla Motors are creating batteries that are 100% recyclable. The use of batteries will limit the need for fossil fuel peaker plants, overproduction of electricity, and can provide economic and environmental benefits.

Want to go solar and get storage? We offer both! You can completely customize your solar system and storage. We’ll help find you every incentive and tax credit you qualify for, click here to request a free estimate.

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