What Are Battery Energy Storage Systems and do I need One?

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are a way of storing electricity for use at a later date. We generally think of it as a component of a solar system, whereby we can store electricity produced by our panels during sunshine hours for use when its not sunny and our panels are not producing much electricity. But as we will come on to later; it's by no means the only way to utilise this technology.

Essentially for the majority of households, the peak usage time is not during the middle of the day when your panels are producing their most power but later on in the evening when (generally speaking) more people are home and activities like cooking, bathing, heating and entertaining are taking place. If you have a BESS then electricity produced during the day can be used during these high energy times to significantly lower your reliance on the grid and as a result lowers your energy bill.

Without a battery your only option to deal with surplus power produced during the day is to sell it back to the grid. The grid though, has low demand during these times and thus the price they pay is usually very low. It's worth mentioning at this stage; that if you are home all day and can do the majority of electricity intensive jobs like cooking, washing, drying etc during the middle part of the day then a panel only solution could work for you as you will be utilising the electricity you produce and this is always more beneficial than selling it back. If you are like the majority and fit into the first category, then a BESS is likely to be the way to go.

I mentioned at the start there is another way to utilise a BESS and that's to arbitrage Electricty. In Essence buy electricity when its cheap; during the night for example. This can then be used and any surplus sold back to the grid when the price is high. There are now tariffs that allow you to trade electricity and batteries that incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to maximise your profit.

If you are interested to find out if any of this could work for you by lowering your reliance on Electricity companies and reduce your bills then why not get in touch today. Press thee button below to schedule a call.

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