How sustainable is a solar battery?

Thanks to the solar battery, you will soon be able to store power to use at a later time. This is useful if you are not at home during the day and use most of your electricity in the evening when the sun is not shining. The solar battery stores energy from your solar panels, and can also store cheap electricity from the grid. This is interesting if you have a dynamic energy contract. A battery for solar panels offers several advantages, but you probably still have some practical questions.

What you'll find in this article

✓ With the solar battery, you increase the efficiency of self-generated solar energy. Where you normally use “only” 30 to 50 percent of your own solar energy effectively, this increases to 60 to 80 percent with a battery.

✓ The solar battery from Enphase has a long service life and extended warranty period.

✘ During a regular charging cycle, the battery loses a small percentage of solar energy. This is about 11%.

✓ Enphase and Soly choose a lithium iron phosphate battery. This offers many advantages, such as long life, higher efficiency and high fire safety.

✓ The Enphase solar battery is rycleable and thus reusable.

Solar battery features

If you have installed solar panels on your roof, the solar battery is often placed next to the inverter. When you need power in your home for lighting or household appliances, the inverter will transmit the solar power first. If you generate a surplus of solar power nad your consumption is lower than the current output of solar panels, then the excess power is stored on the battery at home. The solar battery has a fixed storage capacity, and fills it to the appropriate level.

As it enables you to use more of your own solar energy effectively, the solar battery is already a sustainable and cost-effective choice. We discuss that in more detail below.

Sustainable use of solar energy
If your energy consumption exceeds your yield, you will automatically switch to the stored power from the home battery. This means that you are still using 100 percent renewable power. This increases the efficiency of your own solar power from 30-50 percent without a battery, to 60-80 percent with a battery.

Durability

Solar battery lifespan

The solar battery lifespan is based on the number of charge cycles. A charge cycle means fully charging and discharging the home battery. In the United Kingdom, partly due to the moderate climate, this happens about 345 times a year on average. Thanks to the 15-year product warranty or 6,000 guaranteed charging cycles, you are assured of a high-quality product and an extended lifespan.

Energy management

Small loss of renewable energy during charging cycle

A charging cycle occurs when the home battery is fully charged and discharged. Approximately 11% energy is lost during this process. This means that the “Round Trip Efficiency” of the home battery is at 89%. As a customer, you will hardly notice this small loss of sustainable energy. However, with larger volumes of home batteries, this means less of the energy you produce ends up on the energy grid.

Custom installation

How do we install the home battery?

The installation of the home battery is all about customization. That’s why we always advise you about the possibilities for your home and unique needs prior to installation. In this video, we show you how our installers work together to ensure proper installation. This process meets meticulous guidelines, such as the fact that the home battery is always installed by (at least) two certified persons. The room in which the home battery is placed must also meet certain conditions. You can read more about home battery installation in our frequently asked questions.

Ready for the future

Sustainable materials home battery

Is the material of the home battery just as sustainable? The home battery we sell at Soly is manufactured by our partner Enphase. We made a conscious decision to use natural raw materials. For example, we do not use the outdated Li-ion batteries, but choose the modern Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) composition. This makes Enphase’s home battery fire-safe and environmentally sustainable. Enphase’s efforts have ensured that the home battery is fully recyclable after disposal. At Soly, we are committed to that goal and monitor compliance.

Enphase’s battery recycling facility is certified to the R2 standard, which prohibits incineration as a disposal solution. All battery waste is thermally or chemically processed to recover valuable metals such as nickel, lithium, cobalt and copper, while the remaining plastic and byproducts are separated for recycling. This means that with the home battery, we have an exceptionally sustainable product in our hands.

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