Combining Solar and Battery, the Best Choice

Industry insights · Sep 13, 2022

Americans have embraced solar power, but often the generation stands alone so that excess power is wasted. It is important to consider combining your solar installation with an energy management system that includes battery storage for whole-home power management. Let's dive deeper to understand why this is the best choice for energy independence.

How batteries enhance solar

A battery stores solar energy and provides power to household loads at night, on cloudy days, and at other times when solar doesn’t generate sufficient energy for the home. It is home energy storage. As a homeowner, you can charge the battery when solar is strong and use the energy stored in the battery at other times. 

The benefits of solar battery

The typical use of excess solar generation is to back-feed solar energy to the grid to gain bill credit. Solar power is used when available, with excess energy exported to the grid. However, that is the singular benefit of solar without battery storage.

There are three key additional benefits to linking solar into power management systems which include battery storage.

Prevention of power outages

What happens with a power outage at night? There’s no solar generation and the grid is no longer providing power. The home will have no power. That's where a battery is useful. A battery provides the household power that is not being provided by either solar PV or the grid. The home now has a secure power system, incorporating solar, grid, and battery.

Offset the peak rate

More utilities in the country now are adopting time-of-use rate plans for residential customers. There will be off-peak, mid-peak, and on-peak rates.

Solar is usually strongest at midday, during off-peak rates. Homeowners can back-feed the grid in exchange for credits at that time. During 6-9 pm, when people are back home from work, the highest, on-peak, rates are typically charged. Without a battery system, when that time is dark (such as in winter), even solar users must pay a high rate to the utility.

With a home battery, however, home systems can store solar energy and then use it during peak hours. In this way, they will be able to lower their on-peak rate charges while gaining an off-peak rate bill credit for excess solar generation. It’s two-way savings!

Energy independence and clean energy

With a solar system and a home battery, homeowners can achieve energy self-reliance with clean energy. Solar is abundant, and everyone can use it, especially in sunny areas. Instead of waiting for more alternative energy to be added to the grid, homeowners can take control of their energy usage, and do so with a home system that more reliable than the grid. The solution is clean, which will benefit the environment.

Different incentives

In addition to the three reasons listed above, the US government is strongly emphasizing the solar industry. The Biden administration has proposed legislation to support the development of new energy industries. The ITC policy currently offers 26% of your total solar and battery project cost as a tax credit for your federal income tax. Along with the national ITC policy, places such as California and Hawaii have introduced local subsidy programs for solar battery users, SGIP in California, and the HECO Battery Bonus program in Hawaii.

FranklinWH power management and battery

FranklinWH’s Franklin Home Power (FHP) system fills the current market void by providing whole-home power management, regardless of the source coming from solar, the grid, or liquid fuel generators. The FranklinWH aPower battery is a high-capacity battery with a 12-year warranty. The FHP can link multiple batteries to support loads for even the largest households, with a storage capacity sufficient for longer power outages and larger loads. We have also simplified the installation process for a faster system installation.

With the FranklinWH AC coupling technology, the FHP works with all solar inverters, making it the best option for combining solar generation and battery storage for whole-home power management.

The FranklinWH FHP is eligible for SGIP and HECO. Please go to www.franklinwh.com for more information.

Conclusion

The country is going solar, and it is better to combine solar generation and battery storage in the home. There is no better time than now. Go solar, go home battery, go clean energy, and gain energy independence.

Franklin Home Power