Solar Battery Capacity: How Much Do You Need to Power Your Home?
In the era of advanced technology, the majority are shifting to solar panels to power their houses. If you are thinking of following the same path, knowing how much solar battery capacity you need to effectively power your home must be a top concern.
Well, this could only be answered after analyzing a few of the determinants, such as how much energy your house requires and the type and size of the batteries.
This article will discuss all the crucial factors that will help you determine how much battery capacity you would require to power your home.
What is the solar battery capacity?
Solar batteries are the energy storing capacity of the batteries and their efficiency in delivering them at the time of need. It is measured in kilowatt-hours.
Kilowatts-hours are a determinant of a battery's energy-storing capacity. For instance, 1kW can easily be powered by a 10kWh battery for a straight 10 hours or for 1 hour to 10kW.
Importance of knowing the right solar battery capacity
1.Store additional energy: Batteries help store that energy so that it can be used to generate electricity during the night or times when the sun isn't shining, for example, during rain or cloudy weather. Hence, if you know the right capacity, you can power your home constantly.
2.Energy Independence: Solar batteries capacity helps to save money significantly on electric bills. It also helps to be less dependent on the electrical grid.
3.Backup power: Solar battery capacity also helps with the continuous and smooth running of the appliances, even when there is an outage.
How to calculate the capacity of the solar batteries you would need
1. Determine your daily energy usage
Recognize how much energy your home requires on average or what your energy needs are. This information could be collected by going through your previous electric bill. See what your average consumption was in kilowatt-hours.
For example, if your usage is 40 Kwh according to the bills, look forward to the batteries that could use this much energy.
If you only want a few appliances to work during an electricity outage, you won't need batteries with huge storage capacity.
On the contrary, if you wish to power your whole house like everything, you will have to look for batteries with superior capacity according to your daily usage.
2. Estimate solar production
See what amount of energy the solar panels could create. The most important determinant for this purpose is the amount of sunlight the panels receive and the size of the batteries.
For instance, if your requirement is 40 kWh and the battery has the capacity to generate 50 kWh, you will have an additional 10 kWh, which can be used later.
3. Determine backup power needs
Have a deep thought about how long you wish the user to run on the batteries when there is no sunlight available.
For instance, if you wish for batteries that could assist your house in functioning for two days without exposure to sunlight, then look for a battery that could store double the amount of your house's daily estimated usage. If your house's daily usage is 40kWh, seek a battery that can store 80kWh.
4. Calculate the depth of discharge (DoD)
The Depth of Discharge, or DoD, is the total percentage of a battery that can be used without destroying its health. Most solar batteries have a DoD of 80% to 90%.
For instance, if you buy a battery with a capacity of 10 kWh and a Dod of 80%, you can use up to 8 kWh each time you charge it.
Thus, understanding the depth of discharge of a battery helps you estimate the total duration for which you can consume a battery.
5. Consider the battery efficiency
Battery efficiency refers to the percentage of the total energy your battery can save for later usage. Most modern models have a battery efficiency rate between 85% and 95%, depending on the model and brand you choose.
That means if you store around 10 kWh of energy, you will be able to retrieve only 8.5 kWh of it. Hence, the higher your battery efficiency, the more energy you can use without depleting your health.
6. Account for energy losses
Energy loss usually occurs during the conversion of power from solar panels to batteries. It happens because an inverter is included between the two resources, which is responsible for converting the direct current into an alternate one before storing it in the battery.
About 5 to 15 percent of the generated energy might go to waste during this process. Hence, to ensure you are choosing the battery capacity you need to power your home securely, you first need to determine what percentage of the energy will go to waste.
For instance, if this rate is around 5 percent, the battery is not at fault. Instead, you need to invest in an efficient inverter that can decrease this waste rate.
How to use the maximum capacity of a battery?
If you want to supply energy to the home uninterruptedly, finding just the right battery capacity won't be enough. As time passes, the battery might lose its capacity to hold the same amount of energy.
While there are multiple ways to determine the right battery capacity for your house, only one solution ensures that you gain maximum benefits from it. That is, sourcing your battery from the right and reliable brand like Innotinum.
With four years of proven customer satisfaction track record, the company has multiple options to meet your tailored needs. The list includes:
1.IES- H0: Offers a total capacity of 7.6kWh to 114kWh.
2.IES- H1: Offers a total storage capacity of 7.6kWh to 95kWh.
3.IES- L0: Offers a total storage capacity of 6.6kWh to 118.8kWh.
The bottom line
Solar battery capacity is the first consideration when planning to ensure an independent power system. Choosing the right battery capacity helps you become completely independent from the grid system while maintaining a stable and consistent supply to the house.
The guide above contains the top 6 factors to help you choose the right battery capacity while discussing other essential information.