It depends on whether you are connected to the grid or not …
Can we use solar energy without batteries? It is possible to use solar panels without batteries if you are connected to the grid. However, if you are not connected to the grid, you will need to own batteries to store excess electricity produced by your solar panels.
People not connected to the grid need solar batteries …
For people that live in remote or rural areas and have no access to the grid, batteries are needed to store excess power generated during the day when there is sunlight and use it at night when the sun goes down. In this regard, it is not possible to use solar energy without batteries.
People living in residential or commercial places that are connected to the grid do not need solar batteries to store excess solar power, because the grid can be used to store excess power to be used by the neighboring communities or to be used at night.
Learn more about off-grid solar batteries such as the Renogy solar panels and solar batteries at Amazon.com
One way to go solar without batteries is through net-metering …Connecting your solar panels to the grid is beneficial for states that already have a net-metering arrangement which allows for solar adopters to connect to the grid and get a credit towards their energy bill.
Net-metering allows for especially home-owners to benefit from feeding excess solar power to help lower their energy bill even more.
A bi-directional meter is installed for the home-owner to help in determining how much power is generated by their PV system, how much is used to power their home, and how much excess is fed into the grid for any billing cycle.
It is possible to determine these amounts because the bi-directional meter moves forward mostly at night when the home-owner is utilizing power from the grid, while during the day since the PV system is generating power, the meter will be moving in the opposite direction or backward.
On the other hand, solar batteries are good and can be used if a home-owner wants to be energy independent and instead of using the grid for storage, they can buy solar batteries for storage and use the power stored in them for their energy uses.
Today there are various types of solar batteries …
There are various types of solar batteries out there, including flooded leaded acid, gelled electrolyte lead-acid, sealed absorbed glass mat (AGM), and Lithium-ion batteries (e.g. the Tesla Powerwall home backup power systems).
Lithium-ion batteries are relatively new in the solar field, although they were first developed in the 1970s, they were used mainly in electronics like cellphones and laptops until recently when the switch to lithium-ion batteries in the renewable energy sector is taking place slowly.
Lithium batteries such as the this BESTSUN home battery BESTSUN home battery have started entering the renewable energy market and compared to the traditional lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion performs better and can survive more charge cycles.
However, lithium-ion batteries are expensive compared to their counterparts because their market is relatively new, but as the demand continues to increase, perhaps their prices will go down like the way the solar panel cost has decreased in the past one decade. The solar panel cost in the 1960s was above $100/watt compared to only $1 or less than one dollar per watt today.
Join EnergySage today to learn more about how to go solar with or without batteries!
If you would like to learn more about going solar with or without batteries, get started today by obtaining free quotes from your local companies when you join EnergySage.
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