Collection: Solar Battery Backup Systems

Add solar battery backup to protect against outages

These solar battery backup kits give you everything you need to power your home and keep the household running during a grid outage.

When utility power is available, the panels will generate electricity, and roll back your energy bill. If the power goes out, the system draws power from the backup battery bank to keep your most important electrical loads running.

If you live in a harsh climate, or your local power grid is unreliable, grid-tie solar battery backup can provide peace of mind and help you live life uninterrupted by power outages.

Add solar battery backup to reduce your utility bill

Solar battery backup can significantly lower your utility bills. Since solar battery systems store excess energy generated from your panels, you can use this energy during peak hours when the rates are highest, making backup systems financially beneficial for any solar owner.

For California residents, starting April 14, 2023, NEM (net metering) 3.0 will go into effect, reducing the export rate for residential solar electricity from an average of 30 cents per kWh to 8 cents per kWh. Act now to lock in greater savings under NEM 2.0.

What’s in our solar battery backup kits?

Solar Panels

Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity. Your solar panel system should be sized to offset 100% of your monthly energy bill.

Our grid-tie solar kits are packaged with high-efficiency solar panels backed by a 25-year performance warranty.

Backup-Ready Inverter

An inverter converts DC power from your solar panels into AC power, the format used by most household appliances.

These solar battery backup kits feature inverters that are designed to work in both grid-tie and battery-based applications:

• Sol-Ark is a universal string inverter that works equally well with or without batteries
• Enphase’s IQ series microinverters can be paired to a battery bank with all-native Enphase components: the IQ Batteries and IQ System Controller

Battery Bank

Batteries store the energy you produce. You can draw power from your battery bank to run your appliances when grid power isn’t available.

The size of your backup battery bank determines which appliances you’ll be able to run from backup power. A smaller storage system can keep select loads like your fridge and phone charger running overnight. A much larger battery bank is required for whole home battery backup.

For help sizing a custom system that meets your backup power needs, reach out to our design team for a free solar consultation.

Racking

Our grid-tie solar kits come with IronRidge XR roof mount or ground mount racking materials. IronRidge racking materials are tested and proven to perform in extreme environments. Plus, their products are fully certified, code compliant and backed by a 20-year warranty.

IronRidge racking rails feature mounting holes that provide a quick and easy way to mount your solar panels. We have found their products to be intuitive for DIY solar installations, which is why they feature in all of our kits.

If you are installing rooftop solar panels, your kit will contain roof flashings to secure the racking rails to the roof.

Some parts not included: Ground mount kits will require the construction of a metal support structure to provide a strong foundation for the array. The heavy metal pipes needed to build this support structure are expensive to ship, so they are better sourced at the local pipe/tube supplier. Don’t worry, we’ll provide a shopping list with everything you need for a complete installation.

FAQs About Solar Battery Backup

How does solar battery backup work?

When utility power is available, your system works like a normal grid-tie solar kit. Your solar panels feed electricity into the utility grid to roll back your energy bill. When the grid goes down, your system automatically detects the outage and switches over to the battery bank to power your home.

Your battery bank capacity limits the amount of backup power available to you. Components like the Enphase IQ Load Controller can shed non-essential loads during outages, meaning you can shut the A/C down while keeping the lights and refrigerator running.

How big should my solar battery bank be?

Your solar battery bank should be sized to meet your needs. Ask yourself, “if the power goes out, what appliances do I want to keep running?” Then, figure out how much energy those appliances consume and size your battery bank appropriately. (We offer custom kit design services to help with this process.)

While every home is different, here are some generic examples to help you benchmark your backup power needs.

Partial backup: 10 kWh-20 kWh storage

10 kWh storage is enough to provide partial home backup for typical homeowners. You can power the essentials, along with electronics that you use every day, like your internet, computer and TV. Partial backup systems take care of most of life’s conveniences, but non-essential loads like a hot tub or EV charger are still shed during outages.

Whole home backup: 20-40+ kWh storage

In addition to the above, a 20-40 kWh storage system would account for major energy-intensive loads, like your well pump, air conditioning, laundry, and dishwasher. Look for a battery bank in this size range if you need whole home backup for a single-family home.

How much do solar backup batteries cost?

Solar system batteries can be costly, which is why we recommend figuring out which appliances are necessary to run during an outage, and which you can live without.

Feel free to browse our solar battery bank kits to get a general sense of standalone battery bank pricing. Once you’re ready to go solar, our design team can provide you with a custom quote for your project.

Building a Solar Battery Backup System: More Resources

• Choosing a Battery Backup System

  Read our in-depth guide to solar battery backup systems to help decide which components are right for your project.

• Solar Battery System Design & Installation Guide

  This extensive guide covers everything you need to know about sizing a solar power system with energy storage. While it is written for off-grid systems, the same sizing principles apply for both full and partial storage.

• Solar Resource Hub

  New to solar? Learn the basics about going solar, including cost & ROI calculations, system design guidelines, and installation tips.