Is Solar Battery Storage a Good Investment for Farmers?
As a farmer, you know directly that your job requires a lot of energy to maintain operations. It is also closely connected to the land, and its livelihood depends on the health of the environment. Therefore, you are the first to recognize the impact of temperature rise, which has prompted many farms and to accept the idea of using alternative energy sources for power operations. Invest in a solar panel system with battery storage function. When making a decision, it is helpful to understand how solar storage works, the costs and savings associated with installation, and how you can benefit from it.
How Battery Storage Works
First, we will see how these systems work. You can easily pair the battery with the solar panel system. As long as your panel generates enough power and your battery stores enough energy to meet your energy needs, energy storage can provide you with a greater degree of energy independence. With a suitable battery storage system, you can work off the grid (although it is likely to still be connected to the grid), or at least you can significantly reduce your dependence on utility companies for electricity.
ON Grid vs. Off-Grid Systems
When most people install solar panels, they install a system connected to the local grid. When the sun is shining, the panel converts solar energy into electricity. This electricity is available to you the moment it is generated. If you generate excess electricity, the utility company uses the energy for other customers. When the sun is not glowing, or when the energy required exceeds the energy produced by its panels, it obtains electricity from the grid. Usually, the utility company will track what you enter into the grid and provide you with credits for that electricity in return. . This is called a “net metering”.
Only off-grid solar systems require battery storage.
These battery banks store excess energy generated by the solar panels so that they’re available to you later.
Note: Batteries aren’t 100% efficient.
Their energy output is less than the energy needed to charge the battery.
Batteries with at least an 80% efficiency rating are best suited for solar energy systems.
Lead-acid batteries are used most often, but lithium-ion batteries are gaining traction due to their benefits.
Lead-Acid vs. Lithium-Ion Batteries
Lead-acid batteries come in two forms: 1) flooded and 2) sealed.
The flooded type has some important characteristics. They are:
Able to handle daily cycling
But flooded batteries have some drawbacks. They:
Require regular maintenance (generally every 1 – 3 months)
Need ventilation due to off-gassing
Now, sealed lead-acid batteries have advantages over flooded lead-acid batteries. They are:
Immune to temperature changes
Spill-proof, giving you more options for storage configurations
Deep discharging for more efficient storage
On the other hand, lithium-ion batteries are more expensive.
But while lead-acid batteries are an economical choice in the short term, lithium-ion batteries offer long-term advantages that could save you time and money.
The Amount of Battery Storage Needed
calculate how much storage you need, here are 2 questions for you:
How much electricity do you use?
How much of that electricity do you want to be able to generate without reverting to the grid?
Your answers determine how much storage capacity you need from your batteries.
The capacity you require and the type of the battery you pick dictates how many batteries you’ll need.
It’s also critical to ensure you have a well-designed system capable of handling the solar panel inputs.
If your system isn’t configured properly, you could damage your batteries . . . something to be avoided at all costs.
How You Benefit from Battery Storage
Pairing energy storage with solar panels is great for the environment, which is also good for you.
Storage capability offers other benefits as well:
Load Balance
· Since the sun doesn’t always shine, batteries allow you to make the most of when it does.
· When you can store the excess energy generated by your solar panels, then you have access to that energy when the panels aren’t generating what you need.
Reliability & Consistency
· Even a passing cloud or dust on your solar panels can reduce the amount of energy they generate. With battery storage, you ensure you have a more consistent and reliable source of power.
Solar panel systems by themselves are a great way to improve energy efficiency and increase energy independence, but if grid power is lost, so, too, is the electricity-generating power of the solar panels.
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This leaves your operations in the dark until the grid is restored, regardless of how bright the sun is shining.
· When there’s a power outage, solar panels that are connected to the grid go into automatic shutdown so that grid repairs can be done safely.
· Though if you have battery storage, you can draw electricity from the batteries until the grid is back up.
The less reliance you have on grid power, the lower your utility costs, thereby reducing the overall operational costs for your farm or ranch.
· If you get charged a rate plus demand charge, pulling from your batteries instead of the grid can lead to significant savings.
· These benefits make pairing solar panels with battery storage a great idea for many.
Those who reap the greatest rewards are farmers and ranchers whose operations are located in places prone to power outages or where retail-rate net metering isn’t available.
Where to Go for Battery Storage
At Eco Solar Energies, we’re here to help you gain energy independence.
We have everything you need to set up a battery storage system that meets your operational needs.
If you have any questions about solar or our services,
We’d love to talk with you.
