Solar energy is great, since a one-time investment keeps your home energized without any extra cost for the foreseeable future. However, with energy requirements, there is always the factor of growth over time; that by five years, your energy needs will have grown considerably, which might put the solar energy system on strain to generate more. We already know that new solar panels can be added to a solar energy system, but can solar batteries be added to an existing solar energy system? Let’s find out the answer for this.

Before we delve into the technical details, yes, a good majority of the constituents of a solar energy system can be added later on to supplement energy production.

For example, solar panels can be added to an already existing solar energy system to boost up energy production. Similarly, for storage purposes, the same could be argued for solar batteries. Let us now look at whether solar batteries can be added as well.

Can Batteries be added to a Solar Energy System?

Yes, solar batteries can be stacked and added on to solar energy systems after they have been installed. This is done primarily to increase the storage capacity of the solar energy system to ensure in the event of a blackout, your energy needs are met. Many solar energy systems offer the option to retrofit solar batteries later on, while ideally, this should have been done during installation. However, keeping in mind the always-evolving energy requirements, you can understand why people would find it necessary to upgrade their solar energy storage solutions.

Retrofitting Solar Batteries: The Different Types

There are many types of retrofitting that can be done for solar batteries. Lets look at each of them in detail.

i. Storage-ready retrofitting

This is the easiest procedure, and since people usually know that their energy requirements will increase over time, many solar energy companies offer this option of storage-ready solar energy system installation. In short, what it means is that the solar energy equipment including the inverter are installed with the option to add batteries later on. This way, when these batteries are added when time passes, the inverter and other accessories are already more than capable of dealing with the increased storage requirements. This makes it easier for the person having them installed: all they have to do is buy new solar batteries and hook them up to the system.

ii. DC-coupling

DC coupling involves swapping out your current inverter with a hybrid inverter, and directly storing the direct current (DC) generated by the panels in the solar batteries. This may seem like a complicated process, but it really isn’t. In a normal setup, the current first passes from the inverter and is stored in the battery in the form of AC or alternating current, ready to be used by the house. In this case, the battery will store DC, and will make AC readily available for usage requirements by passing it through the inverter later on. This consumes less electricity since the current only goes through inversion once.

AC coupling is the opposite of what DC coupling entails, and while it is better for residential or commercial systems looking to upgrade their storage potential, it will also increase transmission losses, since this process will see current inversion twice. AC coupling starts as a normal solar panel supplying DC to the inverter. It outputs AC to the power box installed on the premises to be either consumed by the occupants, or, if energy generated is extra, can either be fed back to the grid (if net- metering has been enabled) or can be stored in the batteries. However, batteries store DC charge, so, a second inverter is needed to turn it back to DC for storage. As explained beforehand, this introduces unnecessary complexity to the whole situation but will allow you to upgrade your solar storage solution.

Why should new Batteries be added to the Solar Energy System?

Aside from increasing the storage potential of the energy system, by adding new batteries to the solar energy system, you will also be saving yourself from the TOU rates; these are inflated rates that kick in during peak consumption hours. With additional batteries on your solar energy system, you can tap into this electricity during TOU hours to supplement your requirements without incurring massively inflated bills.

The best Solar Batteries in UAE from Beacon Energy

Beacon Energy, one of the premier solar energy companies in UAE, has a range of excellent solar batteries from reputed manufacturers including SOFAR Solar and Soluna. The best solar battery prices in UAE, coupled with prompt delivery timelines and an extensive warehousing setup in Dubai mean that the best batteries are in reach at all times. Check out Beacon Energy for more on the best of solar energy.