Battery Backup & Preparedness

You Can Be Prepared!

Commercial clients – please click here for our commercial storage solutions.

Grid-tied solar is wonderful technology, and the lower electric bills and environmental stewardship are meaningful. Adding batteries to your solar system changes the game and adds energy independence to that mix.

With a properly engineered battery backup system, your refrigerator and freezer stay on, the well pump runs, and small appliances can be used. Harsh storms and utility problems can be gotten through much more comfortably. In addition, systems can be designed for long term preparedness to ensure that you have reliable uninterruptible power 24/7 for extended periods of time without utility power.

mtvSolar offers three main types of battery systems: Schneider/DEKA/Fortress, StorEdge/LG, and Tesla PowerWall. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and best applications.

Tesla PowerWall

The most aesthetically pleasing of the bunch, Tesla PowerWall systems can be integrated with new or existing solar, supply 5kWAC per battery unit and can be stacked. The lithium batteries are AC coupled, which makes integration a breeze, especially with existing systems. They are not intended for off-grid use, however, and can not be charged with a generator.

StorEdge/LG is a combination of a SolarEdge “StorEdge” system with an LG Chem lithium battery.

The primary benefit of this setup is that the optimized solar is DC coupled to the battery. This leads to overall higher efficiency.

The downsides are lower surge capacity than equivalent lead acid system and inability to tie in a generator for battery charging. There is also a limit to how big the system can be made as inverter stacking isn’t possible. (An upgraded, stackable SolarEdge solution is coming 2020).

Schneider/DEKA is a system comprising of a Schneider hybrid inverter and either lead-acid or lithium iron phosphate batteries.

-The technology has been around for decades
-Battery and inverter scalability
-Can fire up anything in your home
-Can tie in a generator for battery charging

The downside is they are labor intensive and more complicated. Lead batteries can’t be fully discharged without damage, so you need more capacity to make up for the power you can’t get out. They are heavy and take up floor space, however we do install the most compact lead technology available. Note that we do not install flooded batteries; therefore there is no danger of dangerous gases or leaking acid.

mtvSolar commonly installs all three types of systems. When approached for energy storage, we examine your individual needs including solar array size and shading, loads, required flexibility and autonomy, and then suggest the most appropriate system type.

Battery systems are complicated, no matter what type. Don’t let a contractor put a battery in your home if they can’t answer these questions satisfactorily: Questions To Ask Your Contractor. Ready for a free estimate? Click here and a zero-pressure consultant will be in touch promptly.

Other articles you may be interested in include:

Why We Chose The Batteries That We Use
Living On Batteries During An Outage