Unlock Benefits of Solar and Battery Storage

 Picture this: It's the dead of summer, electricity use is up and demand on the electric grid is high. Suddenly, an outage occurs and your neighborhood goes dark - yet your home is unphased. That is the power of solar and battery storage.

With a home battery storage system, you can capture and store the excess power your solar panels generate and use it later, helping you save on electric bills and be more resilient in emergencies.

"We decided to take the plunge and invest in solar to save money," said Southern California Edison customer Gabriel Grajeda. "There was an extra cost to include battery storage but it was worth it to maximize the investment. We use the stored power in the evenings when electricity prices are higher, which keeps our bills lower."    

Does this mean you're totally off the electric grid with a solar and battery storage system? Not quite.

A battery system can isolate itself from the grid and temporarily cocoon you from disruptions. For several hours, it can keep the internet powered, phones charged and food refrigerated. Eventually, you might need grid power again, whether it's during a long winter storm or periods of high heat and round-the-clock air conditioner use.

Keep in mind that running your air conditioner or dryer will drain your stored energy faster than just keeping your lights, Wi-Fi and TV on.

 "With this new system I can use a third-party app that shows me, in real-time, how much power it's taking in, how much I am sending back to the grid and how much is stored in the battery," Grajeda said. "It is very helpful to be able to track all of that."

The adoption of energy storage is on the rise. In the last three months alone, approximately 70% of all SCE residential solar applications included storage.

"Battery storage is the future of clean energy. If customers are thinking of getting solar panels, it is a no-brainer to add the storage capabilities at the same time," said Rene Valencia, SCE's manager of Customer Generation Incentive Programs. "Investing in a battery storage system gives customers the ability to keep and use more of their self-generated energy that would otherwise be sent back to the grid, ultimately keeping their bills lower." 

The energy storage system uses your solar panels to charge while not in use. The amount of stored power will depend on your home's energy use and the size of your energy system. Even with solar and battery storage, you will still pay monthly fees for maintenance and operation of the electric grid since your home is still connected to it.