If you bought your solar panels assuming they’d help you escape blackouts and local power outages, you’re not alone. Plenty of solar customers installed their panels with high hopes to escape the grid, save on electricity costs, and ultimately attain an “always-on” lifestyle. Sadly, solar panels alone won’t keep your lights on when the grid fails.
To truly distance from the grid and keep your home powered during darker days, a reliable home battery backup system is called for. One that can seamlessly switch on at a moment’s notice, keep your most important rooms and devices powered on, and do so without risk of catching fire. At NeoVolta, these standards are built into our NV14 solar battery backup solution.
Over the past several years, NeoVolta has designed a solar battery that lasts longer, is AC/DC compatible, offers more cycles, and poses virtually no fire risk. This is contrary to many lithium-ion competitors, whose units have a risk of thermal runaway and combustion. Keeping the lights on isn’t enough; safety is always the priority, especially when it comes to homeowners and their families.
Discover how a home battery backup can be your saving grace when the power goes out, before exploring the different options on the market and how they stack up against our NV14 solar battery.
What is a Solar Home Battery Backup?
A solar home battery backup is a device that stores energy from solar panels and uses that stored energy to power the home when the sun isn’t shining or the grid goes down.
It’s a modern must-have for any solar power system, since without a battery backup, homeowners will have to return excess energy to the grid at lower net metering rates due to NEM 3.0. Some utility companies will even charge a fee for net metering, or not offer credit at all for back-fed energy.
With a battery backup system like NeoVolta’s NV14, solar owners can do much more than escape net metering nuances. Time-of-use (TOU) rates, which assign higher costs to power during “peak” times, can be avoided by storing solar power during slower times and using it when demand is higher.
Most importantly, a solar home battery backup can keep your lights and devices powered on even when blackouts and brownouts strike your neighborhood.
Quelling Blackouts with a Solar Home Battery Backup
As a mandated safety protocol, solar panels alone do not work when the grid goes down. The solar can’t be on when there is an active 240V grid reference. So when the grid goes down, so does your solar.
If you have a solar home battery backup, the ESS senses the grid drop out, disconnects itself from the grid, and provides the 240V reference. Your solar either stays on or comes back on when the grid is out.
By combining your solar panel system with a solar battery backup, such as NeoVolta’s NV14, you can tap into that stored solar power when the grid goes down. As soon as an outage occurs, your solar battery detects it and turns on nearly instantaneously, switching from grid to solar power so quickly that you may not even notice it.
In other words – by storing solar energy with a home battery backup, you can make the most of the energy gathered by your panels, and use it when the need arises.
There are several solar battery backup options on the market, from age-old lead-acid units to new and improved lithium-iron batteries. And as a homeowner, being aware of the benefits, limitations, and safety risks of each is critical before making a purchase.
What are the Different Types of Solar Battery Backup?
There are a few different types of solar batteries available, mostly differing in their chemical composition, depth of discharge, fire and toxicity risk, and lifespan. Here’s a rundown of old and new solar battery backup options that have been popular among homeowners:
Lead-Acid Batteries
These are the oldest and most common types of battery backup for solar systems. Although they’re affordable and typically reliable, they tend to offer a shorter lifespan than the rest of these options and pose a lower depth of discharge.
They also require regular maintenance, and experts don’t recommend running them to a depth of discharge higher than 50%. For these combined reasons, lead-acid batteries are the cheapest option of the pack.
Flow Batteries
Flow batteries are a new player in the solar battery backup game that holds plenty of promise. They use liquid electrolytes to store energy and are a bit more expensive than lead-acid options since they offer longer lifespans, are non-toxic, and flaunt a 100% depth of discharge. However, flow batteries aren’t without their flaws.
They’re still in the development stage and are notably more expensive than other options, not to mention the space they take up due to low storage capacity.
Nickel-Cadmium
Nickel-cadmium batteries – otherwise known as “nickel batteries,” or “Ni-Cd” are a well-known solar home battery backup option that’s been around for a while. They’re popular for their ability to operate at extreme temperatures, without the need for complex battery management systems, making them especially suitable for commercial-scale applications.
However, it’s a very old technology with toxicity risks similar to lead-acid units, which is why they’re banned in a handful of countries.
Lithium-Ion
If you drive a Tesla, Hyundai, or Honda EV, you’re likely familiar with the term “lithium-ion.” Compared to lead-acid and Ni-Cd systems, lithium-ion batteries are fairly new. They’re also currently popular among homeowners due to their longer lifespan, reduced maintenance needs, lightweight design, and their ability to handle discharges of 80% or more.
Despite their high usable capacity, lithium-ion batteries pose an unfortunate risk of thermal runaway – meaning they can catch fire if installed improperly. A car catching fire is one thing, but setting fire to the place where you eat, sleep, and gather likely isn’t a risk you want to run as a homeowner.
Lithium-IRON*
Lithium-iron phosphate batteries are lesser-known in the solar space, yet their superior chemistry makes them the premier option for residential applications. Although similar to li-ion units, lithium-iron is distinct in its iron, phosphorus, and oxygen composition, which results in strong covalent bonds that reduce the risk of thermal runaway and overheating issues.
They also have a longer life cycle – 6.5 years more on average – than popular lithium-ion options, offering 2,000 more cycles before requiring replacement. This is what we offer at NeoVolta: a safe, long-lasting solution that keeps the lights on without any risk of fire or overheating.
Why Choose NeoVolta?
At NeoVolta, our NV14 solar home battery backup is powered by lithium-IRON, not ion, so that homeowners can rest easy knowing their families are safe from a potential fire hazard.
It also offers up to 6,000 cycles, which can last 16.5 years, outlasting lithium-ion competitors by 50% on average, and doesn’t require solar to charge. While most systems require the sun’s power to charge, the NV14 is compatible with both grid charge and generators, allowing you to switch between AC and DC power with ease.
Your family and home deserve the safest, most dependable solar battery backup. One that can reduce your electricity costs and keep your home powered when the grid is down, without sacrificing safety (unlike some lithium-ion manufacturers).
Step into a brighter future with NeoVolta, where the lights always stay on.
If you’re a solar homeowner who desires an always-on lifestyle, visit the NeoVolta website for more details on our NV14 battery and how it can secure your power while saving loads in electricity costs.
