As electricity is uniformly useful no matter how it is cultivated, there are three types of solar energy systems for residential uses. The plan of whether or not to use batteries is a vital player in the type of system you come up with for using solar energy to power your home.
The grid-tie system is a well known selection for home solar power enthusiasts. This type of system brings together the use of solar modules, DC-AC power inverter and the power utility’s grid as a reserve. When your solar energy system produces more electricity than what the load are, you sell the extra power to your utility company. When the opposite is happening (requiring more power than your solar power system can produce) you purchase the difference from the grid (Power Company). Many public utilities are required by law to buy power fed into the grid from your solar energy system. This law, however, is not generally accepted. Always seek advice from your electric utility before linking a solar power system to the grid. You not only require their authorization, but a specialist will also need to come by your home and investigate your whole solar energy system.
While grid-tie systems use the electric utility grid as support power, battery backup systems use a bank of deep cycle batteries to deliver power in the event that the power grid fails. This type of system is more intricate, and quite a bit more costly than a grid tie system due to the extra controls and batteries required. A battery-backup system requires a different type of DC-AC Power Inverter in order to control hook ups to the power grid and the battery bank, in addition to the batteries on their own.
In difference between batteries as your backup power supply and using the power grid, is the extra cost and the means to retain power in the home when the grid has failed. The cost of batteries will differ depending on the size of your system and the span of time you would like as a supply. Often, a three day supply of power is what the majority would need in the event of a power outage. A bank of batteries can cost somewhere between several hundred dollars to many thousands, based on their type and storage capacity. $25,000 is about common. If you are not comfortable with choosing which batteries to use, you need to go to a professional that works in these areas on a daily basis.
It would be very achievable to power your entire home’s total energy requirements off of deep cycle batteries, however, sizing your battery bank to manage only those items regarded as essential to survival would keep your full system costs down to a bare minimum.