We all know the benefits of powering your operations with solar energy. Solar power produces zero carbon emissions during its operational life, it is as plentiful and renewable as sunshine, it is generated by panels that last for decades, and it supports the global trend of converting to clean energy. But you may be surprised to learn that pairing your solar panels with a battery energy storage system makes your power supply even more efficient and resilient.
How Batteries Complement Solar Panels
Battery systems store the excess energy that your solar panels generate during peak daylight hours and give you the option to use it whenever you choose. This is a perfect match for solar power because it levels out Solar’s intermittency and lets none of the power it generates go to waste.
Battery energy storage systems help you get more from the solar power you generate in several ways.
Reducing Demand Charges – Utilities want customers to use electricity in steady, level increments so that utilities can forecast demand and plan production. However, most businesses consume power in steep peaks for short periods of time. Demand charges are the additional fees paid when your electricity consumption spikes far above average. Drawing stored power from your battery system during usage peaks instead of drawing from the grid levels out the amount of electricity you consume from the utility and reduces demand charges.
Making Solar Power Dispatchable – Traditional sources of energy such as coal and natural gas have always had the advantage of being dispatchable, meaning that they can be stored and used when they are needed. Battery storage systems put solar energy on par with these types of power by storing up solar energy and making it available even when the sun isn’t shining. This gives you dispatchability without carbon emissions.
Providing Backup Power – Downtime caused by a power outage costs your business money and productivity. Businesses lose billions of dollars every year from power outages that last less than five minutes. A battery energy storage system is a backup source of electricity that protects your facility from a sudden loss of power and prevents the disruption of your business operations if the grid goes down.
Decreasing Power Factor Fees – Power factor measures how much of the electricity you purchase from the utility is used to operate machinery and equipment (working power) and how much is used just to sustain the equipment’s magnetic field (reactive power). Utilities impose heavy fees if the percentage of reactive power you use is too high. An onsite battery system allows you to use stored electricity to provide your own reactive power so that more of the power you draw from the grid is used for work. This improves your power factor and helps you avoid paying heavy penalties on your monthly utility bill.
The Future of Battery Storage
Two trends make battery storage an attractive option for enhancing your solar power system.
First, utilities are encouraging their customers to add batteries to their systems with enrollment incentives and ongoing bill credits.
Second, as technology improves and adoption grows, batteries will have longer lives, greater capacity, and an increased ability to dispatch power without electrical loss.
How Hunt Can Help
Installing a battery energy storage system to support your solar panels is a complex undertaking. Choosing Hunt as your partner in solar and battery installation brings the following benefits to your project.
Broad Experience – We have the experienced workforce to handle every aspect of your project from engineering to procurement to construction. From design to installation, you only have to make one phone call to get the answers you need or address issues that may arise.
Battery Storage Expertise – We have years of experience designing battery energy storage systems that are customized to meet our clients' needs, and we're well equipped to manage the intricacies of installing these complex systems. We specialize in installing battery systems that use advanced algorithms to assess available power sources and prioritize loads if additional power is needed during outages.
Customized Solutions – We work to understand your operational needs and identify the type of system that best serves them. This enables us to tailor the system to meet your unique needs.
Contact us to learn how to maximize the performance of your solar power by adding a battery storage system.
