Required Components for Solar Energy Storage

Solar + storage systems require a number of additional components to make them work. While there are many variations that you can use, the basic components for any solar + storage system are:

Solar Panels

Solar panels allow you to charge your battery with clean renewable energy. You can have an energy storage system without solar panels, but having solar panels is preferable. The four most?common types of solar panels are: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, PERC, and Thin Film.

Batteries

The battery is the center of your energy storage system. The two most common types of batteries are Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) and Lithium-Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC). Go here to learn more about?home battery storage.

Inverters

Inverters?are a device that converts energy from AC to DC and vice versa. Inverters are needed to convert the DC energy from your solar panels and batteries into AC energy that is used in the home. Some batteries and solar panels now include a built-in inverter into their components.

Critical Load Subpanel

A critical load subpanel is a device that determines what will get powered if the grid goes out. Most batteries can’t power an entire home for very long. To extend the amount of time your battery lasts during an outage, you can choose to power only a few critical appliances in your home (such as the refrigerator and lights). The critical load subpanel allows you to choose those critical loads and it’s very important that solar installers sets this up correctly for your battery’s capacity.

Other Components

There are many smaller components needed to make a solar + storage system work such as?AC & DC disconnects, fuses, circuit breakers, switchgear, cables, electrical conduit, mounting hardware, battery enclosures, and safety equipment. Some modern solar storage systems even include software and mobile apps to give even more control to the homeowner.