The 6 Best Home Battery Power Options in 2021 (with Prices)
When contemplating installing a photovoltaic system, many of us might dream of achieving complete energy independence and going wholly off-grid. The problem, of course, is that unless you live in Tucson, Arizona, or some area with a steady and constant supply of sunlight, the climatic variations that characterize the changing of the seasons might leave you with electricity on a freezing winter night in the middle of January.
The average person who installs a solar energy system in their home offsets around 86% of the energy their home uses. While this is a considerable amount, the remaining 14% that you don’t cover could leave you in an uncomfortable spot during the long, cold, overcast days of winter.
Connecting to the grid, however, isn’t always the best option either. Your solar panels will be giving back to the grid during the daylight hours when most of us are at work and when electricity is cheapest. Many electric companies charge premium prices during peak hours, usually during the evenings and early nighttime hours when you’re at home. This means that the electricity from the grid you use will most likely be charged to you at a higher rate.
Improvements in battery technology have made hybrid systems much more appealing to folks searching for the best PV system for their homes. With a hybrid system, you can choose when to send the excess electricity produced by your panels to your batteries. For example, during the peak summer months, your panels will be producing maximum amounts of electricity, and you can send that energy to your batteries so that you can then draw that energy during the peak pricing hours. This strategy could save you hundreds of dollars over the long term.
Hybrid systems and battery power also protect you and your household in the event of extended power outages. The increase in severe weather events (think Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico) makes this a desirable alternative for people looking to increase their resiliency in the face of global climate change.
Whether you have a PV system already installed in your home or are considering investing in solar power soon, opting for a hybrid system that incorporates battery backup power makes a lot of sense. Below we offer a complete review of the six best battery power options for hybrid solar systems.
What Is the Tesla Powerwall?
Elon Musk might be making headlines for wanting to send humans to Mars, but his company’s advancements in battery power for PV systems are also extraordinary. The Tesla Powerwall offers up to seven days of continuous power during an outage or extended overcast days. With all the supporting hardware, this battery option will cost you around $6,200 and gives you the opportunity of going off-grid in the future.
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What Is the Crown AGM?
The Crown AGM is a quality battery pack option that costs just under $4,000 but includes all the cables needed. While this battery system can easily be used for backup power for a hybrid PV system, it is also strong enough to consider going completely off-grid if you live in tiny homes or other extremely energy-efficient housing options.
What Is the Pika Energy Island?
The Pika Energy Island partnered with the electronics giant Panasonic to offer the Harbor Smart Battery option for PV systems. The three Li-ion battery modules bring you 30% more power capacity than similar systems and gives you 10 kWh of usable energy stored in the battery tank. This quality product is set to be released in a month or so, and you can stay tuned here to find pricing options.
What Is the LG Chem Resu 10H?
LG is one of the biggest competitors of Tesla, best known for its wide array of electronics equipment and smartphones. The LG Chem Resu LG currently costs $6,275 and comes with 9.3 kWh of usable energy, giving you more than enough storage space for long-term power outages and storage. This battery is built to last as it is estimated to have 80% retention capacity even after ten years of use.
What Is the Four Star Solar Backup Power Central 2000?
If you are not considering going off-grid, this Four Start Solar Backup Power Central 2000 is a great option that will give you over five kWh of usable energy. The inverter on this battery pack system continuously monitors the grid so that in the event of a power outage, it will switch over to battery power in less than a second, thus keeping your critical loads online at all times. Priced at just over $5,500, this is an affordable way to stay powered no matter the weather.
What Is the Nissan XStorage?
The auto manufacturing giant Nissan also has a solar backup battery option called the Nissan XStorage. This battery comes in three different sizes. The 4.2 kWh system costs $3,700, while the largest choice of 9.6 kWh costs just under $10,000. Many of these battery options are factory refurbished electrical vehicle batteries giving a useful second life to the millions of EV batteries produced in the coming years.
Article by:
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.