Battery Storage
So what is battery storage?
Battery storage is similar to the every day batteries we use in appliances, phones, kids toys and many more applications but on a larger scale. It is basically storing power from you solar power that is free from the sun and then using it later at times of insufficient solar power generation. Some battery storage systems that we install such as Tesla Powerwall and Sigenstor by Sigenergy can also give you emergency back up power if the grid is down for maintenance or during major weather events. This is vital especially for remote or fire prone areas for using water for fire fighting but also for everyday consumers to keep the contents in refrigerators and freezers cold.
So what is the best battery for me?
With so many batteries on the market this is a hard one for customers to decide on. Do you want to just save money or do you want backup power as well? There are many cheap batteries on the market that will make virtually no difference to your electricity bill whatsoever as the kWh rating of the storage is very low. With the influx of smart meters installed in most meter boxes these days it is easy to obtain your night time data usage to calculate how much power you use at night and what impact the battery will make to your bill. You can also work out on average if the grid goes down at night will the battery power your home until sunrise until the solar starts generating again. We have different battery options however we highly recommend Sigenstor by Sigenergy as it is a stackable and an expandable battery system in the future and when installed with the Sigenergy Gateway can give you both single or 3 phase backup power in an outage depending on your power supply at your meter box. We can also use the power from your existing solar system to charge the Sigenstor so modifying your existing solar system is generally not required. The MySigen app is user friendly detailing solar generation, home usage, charge and discharge rates and with the bi-directional Smart Port in the Gateway you also have the option to either run your current electric Hot Water System from the excess solar heating for water free from the sun or have a Generator connected for added backup security. The Sigenstor also as an optional DC Car Charger module for fast, efficient EV charging.
Are they worth investing in?
As with solar we understand everyone’s needs and budgets are different. Batteries are an expensive and major investment and questions individuals need to answer for themselves before investing are:
if I have a grid outage can I defend my property in the event of a fire?
how would I perform basic everyday tasks at my property when the grid goes down for many days after major weather events that is occurring more frequently?
do I want to keep exporting power at an ever reducing payment amount making the retailers earning bigger profits instead of storing the power to be used later in my own premise?
With the implementation of the Battery Rebate for new battery installations starting in November 2024, increasing electricity purchase taffifs and lowering solar feed in tariffs now is the time to have you battery installed. The sooner you invest the sooner you start to return the benefits of battery storage and not worrying about a shortage of power on the grid again. It is also good knowing that the less power you purchase is having less of an impact on our environment.
