Battery Storage

Sustainability and Green Building
Contact: Sustainability and Green Building
sustainability@nahb.org

Solar Battery Storage

If your customer has opted for solar photovoltaics (PV) on his or her newly constructed house, he or she might also be interested in exploring options for battery storage. Batteries act as storage, releasing the energy generated by the solar PV system at a later time (determined by software that will monitor and instruct the stored energy to be used).

A battery bank is a group of batteries that are wired together to achieve a specified capacity and voltage as determined by the home’s average daily load. It is also where energy that is not used immediately by loads in the house is stored for use at night, when there are clouds or during a power outage.

Battery storage solutions are available in the residential marketplace but can be expensive, although prices for both utility-scale storage and residential storage have been decreasing in recent years. Many states also have incentive programs to reduce upfront battery costs.

  • Potential Use Cases

    There are many different use cases for storage, so battery configuration with the solar PV will likely vary based on the home owner’s goals. 

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  • Battery Types

    There are many different battery chemistries, but the most common types that are used in the residential market with solar PV include lithium ion and lead acid.

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