George WardellThe backup battery is one of the best things in having a solar system. The system shuts down automatically and utilizes backup energy if there’s no power in the battery. A backup battery can be used for 15 years. It’s resilient and money-saving among many of its benefits.
More and more people choose solar energy to be less dependent on power grids. Because of this, solar backup batteries have become more popular as well. But, what happens to the excess solar energy if there’s no battery?
What happens in many cases is that this solar energy is sent to the grid. This is called net metering. Solar system users can balance their use of energy by sending and selling extra energy to their utility company.
Net metering is not the only method to save money on your electric bills. This is the alternative for those who have additional solar energy. Other solar system owners opt to get a backup battery to keep excess solar power which can be used if there’s a power outage or problem with their power grid.
Although backup batteries are costly, they’re a good buy because you don’t have to worry about losing a power source.
Do Power Grids Get the Excess Solar Energy?
When you have an off-grid system, it’s best to utilize the excess energy for other uses. This process is known as dumping. You need to activate dump loads by switching your resistors or heating elements so that you can utilize the additional energy.
These dump loads are important since you wouldn’t want any energy to go to waste. Aside from energy storage, most fixed solar systems send back excess energy to power grids to meet energy demands.
For a net metering system, the additional energy produced by solar panels is reflected in the customer’s account. Some states get additional energy, but the amount isn’t normally 1:1.
Moreover, you won’t be as dependent on power grids because you can store energy for future use in your battery.
What Happens If My Solar Battery Has Full Charge?
Solar panels harness energy from the sun and convert it into electricity when there’s much sunlight. Then, this energy is kept in a solar battery. But, what happens when it’s fully charged?
Many solar batteries are designed to protect themselves from overcharging. That means when they are fully charged, they won’t acquire energy from the solar panels. So, you don’t need to worry that your solar battery will overcharge. No energy is wasted because it’s sent to the grid for better stabilization and redirected to other locations that need power.
