Australia is leading the world in its up-take of residential rooftop solar, installing new solar panels at ten times the global average rate¹ – and it’s no surprise given the reduction of power bills, cleaner energy production and the energy independence that can be provided. 

With energy prices continuously on the rise, now is the time to invest in solar. Installing a solar system not only offers long-term savings on electricity but also provides a more cost-effective and sustainable solution to lessen the impact of rising power costs. 

How do they work? 

Before installing solar, you should understand how panels work. At a basic level, panels convert sunlight into electricity through a process called photovoltaic (PV) conversion. 

Solar panels consist of many individual solar cells which are made from semiconductor materials. When the sunlight hits these cells, the electrons within them are excited. These excited electrons then create an electric current. This creates direct current (DC) electricity within each of the solar cells. 

Given that most household appliances use alternating current (AC) and not DC electricity, this power must be converted using an inverter. This makes the electricity usable within an average household, while any excess power can be fed back to the electrical grid. 

How do solar batteries and solar panels work together? 

The popularity of solar battery systems is on the rise in Australia – driven largely by technological innovations, improvements in device affordability and an increasing desire for energy independence. The integration of solar batteries into your existing solar system offers an extensive range of benefits, including: 

• Energy Storage: Instead of sending excess energy during the day back to the grid, surplus energy is stored, ready to be used when the sun isn’t shining. This heavily reduces the reliance on the grid and can lead to significant savings in the cost of electricity. 
• Energy Independence: As mentioned above, the reliance on traditional energy providers is reduced, with many batteries providing backup power should the power go out. By combining a solar battery with solar panels, you can use up to 75% of your self-generated energy to help lower your electricity bills.² 
• Environmental Impact: Solar is a renewable resource, so by implementing a solar battery, it is possible to go completely off-grid and produce an entirely self-sustaining household. 
• Reduce Grid Demand: Solar batteries can help stabilise the grid by using stored power during peak demand periods or outages. 
• Energy Efficiency: By storing your energy and not sending excess power directly back to the grid, you can achieve higher self-consumption as opposed to solar panels alone and will reduce the need to export excess energy back to the grid.

What factors affect solar panel energy production? 

Numerous environmental factors can have an impact on the energy produced. These factors can be either positive or negative in terms of energy production, and should all be considered when working out your energy production potential. 

While solar panels alone still provide a lot of benefits, there are some limitations. The most obvious limitation is energy is only produced when the sun is in the sky, so energy isn’t produced at night time. Likewise, cloudy weather can have a more significant negative effect on solar power production – as the amount of sunlight reaching your panels is reduced. 

Weather conditions

Weather conditions, in particular cloud cover, may have a consequential effect on your solar panel’s energy production. While solar panels can still generate electricity with cloud cover, energy production is just far less efficient. This is because cloud formations can reduce the solar irradiance that reaches the panels, essentially limiting the amount of energy captured. As a general rule of thumb, on a cloudy day, a solar power system will produce around 25% to 45% of the energy it would normally produce under ideal conditions³. 

Panel and ambient temperature

Operating in direct sunlight is where you’ll see the strongest production efficiency, but it’s also important to consider the temperature. If the temperature increases too significantly, the solar cells can have impacted performance, leading to a reduction in the production of electricity. Ideally, your panels will operate in moderate temperatures and avoid the extremes.

Shading on panels 

Shading impacts solar panels in a similar way. If a panel is covered in shade, either entirely or partially, heat can accumulate and reduce the production efficiency. These areas of heat can also lead to long-term damage to the impacted cells. While this is commonly assumed to be from trees or other shadow-causing objects, even dust and debris can impact the efficiency of your solar panels. 

Solar panel orientation

Another consideration is the orientation of your home and how panels are installed. Generally, north-facing panels provide the most efficient energy production. It is worth noting that different orientations provide different efficiencies throughout the day. For example, west-facing panels produce less electricity in the morning but will produce more in the afternoon. Overall, Australia is a highly favourable country to utilise solar energy – receiving some of the highest levels of solar radiation in the world, making solar an ideal solution for homes. 

What else do I need to consider for residential solar panels? 

When exploring solar panel installation, it’s important to consider the number of panels that you may need. There are several factors to consider when it comes to this decision though and it will vary depending on your household. Energy consumption, available sunlight, energy goals, available roof space and your budget will all play into the decision of how many panels to install. 

When it comes to solar installation, there are financial incentives available, depending on numerous factors.

Solar feed-in tariffs are another aspect of solar that needs to be considered. Solar feed-in tariffs are programs that will compensate you for excess electricity produced and fed back to the grid. The core considerations for feed-in tariffs are the rates, contract duration and metering type. Metering types include net metering (i.e. only paid for excess power) and gross metering (i.e. paid for all solar generation). 

Given that the installation of a solar system is an investment for the future, it is integral that high-quality products and installers are used. Solar panels coupled with a home battery storage solution are the answer to increasing your household’s energy independence. A sonnenBatterie includes a 10-year warranty on all its components or 10,000 cycles, whichever comes first. This allows you to have peace of mind that your investment is safe. 

Is it worth installing solar panels without solar batteries? 

Solar installation with a solar battery can still be worth it in terms of cost savings and environmental impact. However, to achieve the best efficiency and to maximise the benefits, a solar battery on top of a solar system will help provide the most possible benefits for your household. 

Installing panels and a solar battery together can provide a considerably more cost-effective system long into the future. In addition to the obvious financial savings, the coupling of panels and batteries can provide you with more peace of mind, energy independence and consumption efficiency.  

sonnenBatteries are an all-in-one energy storage solution. Because our solar batteries come with a hybrid inverter – you can connect your panels straight into the battery – saving you the cost of purchasing a separate solar inverter. 

Why is it the right time to go solar? 

The solar panel cost will depend on how big your installation is – typically reflecting how many kilowatts of panels you choose to install. While solar panel prices in Australia have dropped significantly over the last decade, there are also a number of Australian government-run solar rebate schemes for you to take advantage of. 

Due to this, there has never been a better time to install solar. This also means that the sooner you install solar, the sooner you may start to see savings. “A commonly sized 6kW Solar PV System would cost between $4,000 and $6,000 in most states and a 10kW system would cost between $7,500 and $10,500”⁴. 

Switching to a solar system with a solar battery can help you avoid any electricity price increases and bring you closer to achieving energy independence. 

Explore the sonnen product range  

Explore the sonnen range and contact a sonnen expert to find out how a sonnenBatterie can help your household reduce reliance on grid electricity and enjoy the benefits that energy independence delivers. 

¹The University of Sydney, Australia faces solar waste crisis 

²The level of self-consumption depends largely on the general conditions under which the sonnenBatterie is operated. In particular, the size of the PV system as well as the sizing of the sonnenBatterie directly affect the level of self-consumption. Please coordinate this with your sonnen partner. 

³Energy Matters, Do solar panels need direct sunlight? 

⁴Solar Choice, The cost of solar panels in Australia 

Content originally supplied and posted by sonnen Australia.

The post How Much Energy Does a Solar Panel Produce?  appeared first on Energy Matters.

‘Power outages’, more commonly known as ‘blackouts’, occur when there’s a total loss of electricity. They are usually localised to an area (though they can be widespread) and are caused by a range of factors, including storms and floods, heatwaves and bushfires, fallen trees and car accidents. Additionally, with domestic and industrial electricity demand increasing and coal-fired generators closing, Australians are at increased risk of ‘rolling blackouts’. Rolling blackouts are outages that occur when electricity demand exceeds the network’s power supply capability. Although blackouts are unavoidable, there are solutions that households with solar batteries can take, like investing in blackout protection devices. 

To continue working in the event of a blackout, some home batteries feature backup power, while others are easily fitted with an add-on device. The sonnenBatterie Evo has 5kW backup power built-in, while the sonnenBatterie hybrid 9.53 can be supplemented with the sonnenProtect 2500. With energy uncertainty on the rise due to the ongoing energy crisis, it’s little wonder solar batteries with blackout protection are rapidly gaining popularity, making this an important consideration when buying a home solar battery.  

For those considering a home solar battery, understanding these options becomes crucial. Gain valuable insights into solar solutions with FREE solar quotes from Energy Matters to navigate these considerations and make an informed decision aligned with your energy needs.

How Australia’s grid system increases our exposure to blackouts

Australia’s national electrical grid system (which includes all states and territories except for Western Australia and the Northern Territory) is temperamental and outages are increasingly common, with some areas hit harder than others. In a recent annual study, The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) indicated that Victoria and South Australia would be the hardest hit in 2023-2024¹, however, it’s expected all states and territories will experience less energy reliability over the next few years. 

AEMO has also stated that more investment in the national grid is needed to minimise the impact of rolling blackouts due to coal-fired plants and gas-powered generators being impacted by external events, such as coal supply shortages and escalating gas prices. Additionally, some of Australia’s coal-fired power generators, like the Liddell Power Station in the Hunter region, are now over 50 years old and haven’t been replaced early enough by solar, wind and other renewables. Switching to renewable energy will drive down energy costs and lower prices, but at present, the amount produced can’t meet the demand. The impact on energy reliability is compounded further by additional factors, notably the international energy crisis and local industrial sites increasing output. 

What is a solar battery?

A home solar battery, like the sonnenBatterie, is an energy storage system that stores the energy a rooftop solar PV system produces for use later. As solar panels produce energy during sunlight hours, a battery is combined with a rooftop solar PV system to optimise the household’s energy usage and reduce reliance on grid electricity. To create a ‘hybrid’ system, which is the most common option, the battery storage unit is combined with the other primary components required to produce and store clean and renewable solar energy at home – an inverter, charger and solar panels.  

How do solar batteries work?

Solar batteries work together with the other components in the system to store solar energy. The solar panels capture sunlight and, through the photovoltaic (PV) effect process, convert it into DC electricity. The inverter converts this into AC electricity, which is used to power household appliances and lighting, with the excess stored in the battery storage unit for later use. This enables households to use the excess energy at night, on cloudy days or at any time the panels aren’t generating electricity – such as in the event of a blackout. However, the battery needs backup power or blackout protection to continue powering appliances and lighting during a power outage.  

Along with keeping appliances and lighting on during a power outage – and as mentioned, we can expect to experience rolling blackouts more frequently – home batteries deliver numerous benefits. These include but aren’t limited to, setting households up for an energy-independent future, which is an important consideration for many Australian households in an era of rising energy prices. While we’re not yet at the stage where most households can completely disconnect from the grid, we can enjoy lower electricity bills and greater energy security with a home solar battery. Additional benefits that have helped to increase the pace of battery installations include reducing our carbon footprint and helping to stabilise the grid by joining a virtual power plant (VPP), like sonnenConnect.  

How to use solar panels during a power outage

By law, and for safety and technical reasons, solar inverters don’t work during a blackout. This is so the energy that solar panels produce can’t be fed back into the grid while the local energy provider (who needs to know when and where the electricity is flowing) carries out repairs. If a rooftop solar PV system is generating a current that sends electricity into the lines, this poses a risk to the team members who are working to fix the problem. As such, to use the energy your panels produce during a blackout, you need a solar battery. However, when exploring your options, it’s important to be aware that, unlike sonnenBatteries, not all solar batteries offer backup power or blackout protection. 

How long do solar batteries last during power outages?

If you’ve invested in solar panels and a home battery system, like the sonnenBatterie hybrid 9.53 or sonnenBatterie Evo, depending on how much power your household consumes and the weather – obviously, no sun means no solar power – you can keep using your essential appliances even during a blackout. As there are some important considerations to take note of here, discuss this issue with your installer to make an informed decision about the home solar battery that you invest in.  

sonnenProtect – What it is and why it’s beneficial 

sonnenProtect supplies important appliances with the stored energy in sonnenBatterie, recharges during a blackout, and can supply dedicated circuits. This small add-on component is an optional accessory that can be installed with the sonnenBatterie hybrid 9.53 to provide an off-grid emergency electricity supply in the event of a power outage. It operates in real-time and provides an emergency power supply by detecting electricity outages and automatically switching to the power stored in your sonnenBatterie, providing power for lighting and small appliances up to a 2.5kW load total limit.  

This means you can power a range of small to medium-sized appliances in the event of a blackout, including a fridge or freezer to prevent food from spoiling, fans and energy-efficient coolers and heaters, laptop computers and handheld device chargers, lamps, lighting and other small devices.  

Explore the sonnenBatterie range

Discover the benefits of the sonnenBatterie hybrid 9.53 and sonnenBatterie Evo, and contact a sonnen expert for information and advice. With in-house training and accreditation, a certified sonnen installer can help you make informed decisions about solar battery and blackout protection solutions that will cover your household in the event of a power outage while also helping to reduce reliance on grid electricity in an era of escalating energy prices and energy uncertainty.  

¹ Warning of looming power blackouts for Australians 

Content originally supplied and posted by sonnen Australia.

The post Blackout Protection – What Is It & Why Does It Matter? appeared first on Energy Matters.

Thinking of installing a solar battery outdoors? Home solar batteries can be installed either indoors (i.e. a separated area, like a garage for example, to which there’s no habitable area on the other side of the wall) and outdoors, but before you start exploring your options, there are a few things to understand. Like ensuring the home solar battery you’re considering is designed for outdoor installation and compliant with the latest regulations issued by the Clean Energy Council (CEC).

Along with making sure the battery is designed and built for our tough Australian conditions, there are a few things to consider, like where you live and the availability of suitable locations at your home.  

Here we look at where solar batteries can be installed indoors and outside, the key benefits of both options, and look at the sonnenBatterie Evo, sonnen’s innovative home solar battery product that gives you the option of choosing either indoor or outdoor installation.  For further insights into the compatibility of solar solutions with your specific needs, consider gaining valuable information with FREE solar quotes from Energy Matters, contributing to a well-informed decision about your solar battery installation.

Can solar batteries be installed outside? 

While there are now more solar batteries on the market that can be installed either indoors or out, whether an outdoor solar battery installation suits your situation depends on a few factors. These included determining whether an outdoor installation is allowed (check the IP rating of the battery with the battery manufacturer) and ensuring compliance with AS/NZS 5139. As such, you need to know not only the best location for your solar battery but also where you can and can’t install it.*  

Where should you locate your battery storage system? 

For some households, the key benefit to an outdoor battery installation is the opportunity to save indoor space – not that a compact solar battery, like the sonnenBatterie Evo, takes up much space! 

While home batteries can be stored outside, the installation location must always protect the battery from weather impacts, like wind, rain and moisture. That means if you live near the sea or in an area with a moist climate or heavy rainfall, installing the battery indoors is the recommended option. The sun also impacts the battery, so ensure the installation location won’t expose it to direct sun. Ideally, it’ll be a fully-compliant location, out of direct sunlight and near to power and communications.  

Interested in experiencing the benefits of solar battery storage in your home?  

Take advantage of sonnen’s limited-time offer of $1,000 cashback* when a sonnenBatterie Evo is purchased and enjoy uninterrupted power day or night.

*Terms and conditions apply, head to https://sonnen.com.au/evo-cashback-promo/ to find out more. 

With any battery installation, whether indoors or outdoors, the further the inverter is from the subboard or switchboard, the higher the installation costs, as this may result in longer cable runs. Also, for most homes, a key consideration on the most suitable location for the installation is the availability of a wired internet connection, as the inverter needs a strong signal to deliver consistent data flow. With important considerations like these that can impact the cost of the installation, for some households, a key benefit to installing their new battery indoors is minimising installation costs.   

Even with a solar battery with environmentally robust aesthetics like the sonnenBatterie Evo, still consider the overall aesthetics of the installation in relation to the intended location. While the primary aim is to design and deliver the most efficient and cost-effective solar battery installation possible and maximise your investment, it’s your home and, naturally, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t look great!  

In the process of building a new home or renovating an existing property and considering an outdoor solar battery installation? While you have a lot more control over the aesthetics, still ensure you have a compliant location and be sure to talk to your installer about pre-wiring for power and comms.  

Enjoy clean and affordable energy day or night with the sonnenBatterie Evo 

sonnen’s outdoor home battery was developed specifically for the climate and weather conditions of Australia, the sonnenBatterie Evo is their first solar home battery system that gives you the option of choosing either indoor or outdoor installation. With an IP56 outdoor rating and backed with a 10 year or 10,000 charge cycle warranty on all components, the sonnenBatterie Evo makes outdoor solar battery installation a viable option for homeowners with a compliant location. 

Along with the outdoor installation option, a key benefit with the sonnenBatterie Evo is the backup solar power feature, which includes 5kW continuous and 7kW surge capacity and the Black Start function that ‘wakes’ up an AC coupled PV system when the grid is down. This provides more power in a backup mode, enabling the use of more appliances and lighting in the event of a power outage.  

Designed for outdoor and indoor installations and compliant with AS/NZS 5139, the sonnenBatterie Evo is a fully integrated AC coupled solar battery storage system that enables you to enjoy clean and affordable energy day or night. Available now from your local sonnen authorised installer. 

*Whether installing a solar battery indoors or out, always refer to the manufacturer’s specific installation instructions.

Want to become a certified sonnen Installer (and claim up to 30 CPD points)?

Register for the sonnen Expert Installer Training free online course today!

Content originally supplied and posted by sonnen Australia.

The post Indoor vs Outdoor – Where to Install Your Solar Battery appeared first on Energy Matters.