Pair solar electricity with a battery storage system for a more sustainable and resilient home
An increasing number of solar installers in Massachusetts are offering battery storage as an option to pair with residential solar electric systems, or as a retrofit to a previously installed system.
The most common use of batteries in a home is for backup power in the event of a utility power outage. When there is a utility grid outage, the battery storage system can isolate some or all of the household electricity needs (called loads) from the utility grid and continue to provide power to those loads. When utility grid power returns, the backed-up loads automatically reconnect to the grid. A home battery system can serve a similar purpose as a traditional fossil fuel generator, but unlike reliance on a traditional generator, there is no fuel to be purchased and stored.
If you have a solar electric system without a battery storage system installed, your solar panels will not be able to operate in the event of a power outage. Alternatively, if a battery system is installed without a solar array, it will be charged with electricity from the grid.
