Battery Storage Systems and Solar PV

Ace Solar has been installing battery storage systems since 2015 when the storage market first started to really take off, and since then have gained experience in all aspects of Battery storage both Domestic and Commercial. Some of the more well-known brands that we have installed include TESLA, BYD, Sonnen, Pylon Tech, Alpha ESS, and Solax.

Most Batteries systems are Lithium-Ion and have a 10 year or 10,000 cycle warranty.

These Batteries can weigh over 100KG each and need to be located on ground floor areas such as garages, workshops, utility rooms or even outside walls (provided the particular battery is appropriately IP rated).

Battery storage systems can be used in conjunction with Solar PV panels to provide households and businesses with Stored solar power for night-time consumption.

There are two types of battery storage systems:

• On-grid Battery Storage (where the property is connected to mains electricity).
• Off-grid Battery Storage (“Stand Alone Systems”, where there is no mains electricity available; often in remote or difficult to access areas).

On-Grid Systems

Most properties in the UK are “ON Grid”, and are already connected to the mains. The Solar PV and battery systems would be connected to this main supply and could export surplus solar electricity back to the mains, or alternatively, Import mains electricity during low rate off-peak periods in the night time etc.

Provided that there is enough daylight, batteries will be charged by the solar panels during the daytime and discharge this power at night. If there isn’t enough solar radiation during the day, then the system will automatically draw electricity from the mains to make up the difference.

Provided that the number of panels on the property is balanced correctly in proportion to the electricity demand and the size of the battery storage system (KW hours), then most properties in the UK can expect to be virtually self-sufficient with a PV/Battery storage system for between 6 and 8 months of the year. Ace Solar have vast experience with such systems.

In the darker winter months, when there is less solar energy, grid-tied Battery systems can be programmed to charge the batteries from the grid during the nighttime using low rate Economy 7 type tariffs. Then, during the darker winter days, the Batteries and Solar will work together to power the property. In the ideal case, the most the property would pay for their electricity would be the Economy 7 off-peak tariff, (provided that there are enough solar panels and batteries to meet the required demand).

Please note that for economy 7 rates to apply, you will need to have an economy 7 contract and a smart meter installed by your supplier. Not all suppliers offer economy 7 or off-peak tariffs.

Off-Grid Systems

Some properties do not have mains electricity due to either their remoteness or because there quite simply isn’t a nearby electric supply. Often the cost of having a new supply pulled in can be financially uneconomical as well as impractical. Traditionally such properties were powered by noisy and smoky diesel generators, that would be running day and night. Nowadays this can all be done using solar power and battery storage, with a small generator as a battery backup charger.

In 2017 Ace Solar designed and installed the first-ever “off-grid” Solar Hamlet in England, where 108 Solar Panels are used to power 6 small cottages and a 7 Plot caravan site. The site, which is in the Peak District (Derbyshire), has 55KW hours of battery storage and a backup Diesel generator for the winter months. The Solar Power and Battery Storage provide the site with around 90% of the power required all year round.

We have installed other such systems on Log cabins, riverside timber-framed buildings and woodland cabins, where the cost of pulling in a new grid supply is excessive.