Fairfax, Virginia is home to more solar panels than ever before; from increased residential adoption to public initiatives to add panels to county buildings, the frequency of solar installations continues to rise in the area.
Solar panels contribute to reduced energy costs, but fewer people think about their additional use as a means of breaking free from the grid.
When a structure no longer relies on electricity from municipal sources, it is considered to be energy independent—and solar panel installation in Fairfax, VA is the first step toward this goal.
Here is an overview of how you can utilize solar batteries to enhance your energy independence and leverage your panels to their greatest effect.
Why Energy Independence Matters
Energy independence, or the process of detaching your home or business from reliance on municipal energy sources, is an important part of taking control of your power consumption and making it work for you.
Because the solar panels generate the energy that you need, you won’t need to think about the rate increases that consistently come from the utility companies, since you’ll create all the energy you’re using.
Additionally, solar panels produce 100% renewable energy, so you can feel confident in the impact you’re having on the environment and your local area.
These are just a few of the many advantages of going solar and achieving energy independence. But to truly leverage your array, a solar battery can enhance your independence and help you achieve new and exciting things.
How Solar Batteries Help to Achieve Independence
Solar batteries are connected directly to solar arrays to capture and hold extra energy that the panels produce. For instance, if the sun is shining brightly and your home only uses 50% of what the array is putting out, you can store the extra 50% in a solar battery for later use.
For achieving energy independence, solar batteries offer even more options than solar panels alone.
1. Disconnect from Grid Impacts
One of the biggest ways in which solar batteries enhance energy independence and improve system function is through their ability to disconnect your building from the many negative impacts that the grid can cause.
For example, if crews need to work on your local power lines, they may shut down the system near your house in order to do the job safely. This is reasonable and unavoidable for obvious safety reasons.
However, even homes with solar panels will be affected by these temporary shutdowns. Your panels may be taken offline temporarily to ensure that they are not feeding newly generated energy into the grid while workers are attending to the issue.
With a solar battery, your home can continue to draw power, even while your panels are shut down for safety reasons.
Similarly, you will not need to draw from the grid during the night and off-peak hours, because your battery has you covered. This disconnects you from rate hikes or peak use pricing.
2. Continue Operations During Outages
Thanks to the highly variable weather in Fairfax—including hurricanes from time to time—outages can occasionally happen.
Solar batteries allow homes to use energy as usual even when the power is out, because the battery is not connected to the grid and not impacted by damaged power lines and poles. This allows you to continue your life or business as usual, regardless of the weather.
3. Manage Grid Arbitrage
Virginia participates in a program called net metering, in which the energy produced by solar panels can be sold back to utility companies. Many solar-powered homes use this program to earn money on the extra power they generate.
However, through the practice of grid arbitrage, you can leverage your solar battery to maximize earnings. Many utility companies purchase power at a rate that fluctuates based on the time of day and typically pay more during peak hours, when more energy is necessary.
Some solar panel owners will switch to battery power during the busiest hours allowing them to sell their energy at peak pricing. Then, they will revert back to solar consumption and battery storage during off-peak hours, recharging the battery to do it again the next day.
Get Solar Batteries for Your System from Local Experts
Solar panel systems are already a step in the right direction toward energy independence, but they can be further improved with the inclusion of a solar battery.
The team at Ipsun Solar is part of the Amicus Solar Cooperative, and as such, we stay on top of advancements in battery technology to help you leverage your solar array to its greatest effect.
Get a free solar power estimate to lower your utility bill.
