Battery storage or solar batteries are energy storage units that are typically connected to a solar PV system and are charged up via surplus energy generated by solar panels or from the national grid if there are low energy demands during the night. By complementing your solar PV system with battery storage technology, you can radically transform how you supply your business with smarter, cleaner energy.
Having the unique ability to store your own electricity means that you don’t have to rely so heavily on your electricity supplier. During periods when your solar panels are not generating or generation is low, for example during the night, you have the peace of mind that you can still choose to use your own clean electricity by drawing from the electricity stored within the battery. Not only will you save money on your annual electricity bill, but you’re also securing your energy independence away from the national grid.
Load shifting, simply put, is when electricity consumption is moved from one period to another. Solar users can further capitalise on their investment by setting the storage battery to charge at a time when the cost of energy is at its lowest. For example, during the night via the grid when tariffs are generally cheaper or during the peak hours of the day when the solar panels are generating surplus electricity.
Introducing load shifting across your business will generally even out your energy demand across a longer period, which will help to ensure you’re not importing too much energy from the grid during peak times. This avoids any additional expenses in upgrading your electrical connection and ensures that your agreed import capacity with the grid remains unchanged.
Solar storage batteries can be operated in a peak shaving mode. This is a setting that avoids the batteries from charging during peak energy times when the tariffs are usually at their most expensive. Using the peak shaving mode together with load shifting within your business can offer you substantial savings on your electricity bill.
Certain battery storage systems can also offer additional grid services, allowing you to earn a supplementary revenue by supplying energy back to the national grid during times when the grid itself is struggling to supply energy. This is usually managed via a third-party working on your behalf through a grid service contract to ensure that revenue is returned to you for energy successfully supplied to the national grid.
There are certain battery storage options available that function completely independently from the national grid. This means that you will still be able to enjoy using energy in your business even during a national grid failure.
