We wrote an article recently about solar energy storage to provide some insight into battery storage for solar.
More questions arrive all the time about batteries and we seem to be fielding more and more questions about Hybrid Solar systems.
Ok, what is a Solar Hybrid System?
In Australia we are (compared to the rest of the world) very lucky to have safe, consistent electricity delivered to our homes. This comes to us “The Grid”. Because we are connected to the Grid, we can almost guarantee our supply. There are only those rare occasions, (usually because of a natural disaster of some sort) that the Grid fails us.
When we add a solar system to this we call it a Grid Connected Solar System.
It’s when we add a battery system to the solar system that we create a Hybrid system. A traditional solar system creates electricity from your solar panels and allows you to use what you need during the day and exports the remainder each day back to the Grid.
The battery adds an extra dimension and hence the reason for needing a Hybrid Solar Inverter solution.
Your home continues to use electricity after the sun goes down. A Hybrid solar system is designed to charge a battery during the day which is then used to power your home overnight and limit any reliance you have on the Grid for electricity.
In general a battery system connected to your solar system and hybrid inverter should be designed to get you through the night. The theory being is that the system will allow your house to use solar first during the day, then battery power and then the grid. Through the night it will continue to use the battery until that is exhausted and only then will it use the grid to keep power going.
If the grid goes down completely you may still be without power. If the goal is to avoid the risk of power outages, then you need to specify this in your needs/wants checklist so that specific components and equipment can be installed to ensure full back up in the event of grid failure.
In summary, A Hybrid Solar system simply means you are still connected to the grid but with the battery system attached to your solar you are becoming less reliant on it. Unless you are out in the bush it is unlikely you would ever truly go “off Grid”. For now anyway.
For more information about Hybrid Solar, Battery Solutions or any other type of Solar such as Off Grid just give us a call.