Helping Solar Weather All Situations

Helping Solar Weather All Situations

by Vincent Ambrose

Around the world, the summer of 2024 was the hottest on record. States such as Arizona and California experienced record-breaking temperatures, while parts of Texas dealt with the flooding and power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl. Although the worst of summer is behind us, the winter months aren’t without their share of extreme weather events. Dangerously low temperatures, heavy snow, and ice storms can impact the energy grid, causing potentially life-threatening outages at a time when residents need power the most.

The threat and real impact of extreme weather is one of the top drivers pushing forward the adoption of residential solar plus storage; experts forecast a 45 percent growth this year in these types of installations.

Keeping solar running

A recent survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers found that 80 percent of respondents are concerned about extreme weather events causing a disruption to their power supply. These concerns aren’t without merit. This summer, three million Texans lost power due to Hurricane Beryl. At the same time, many Texas communities were under a heat advisory, leaving vulnerable residents with no access to power in a dangerous position.

Even if a homeowner has solar panels, many don’t realize (until it is too late) that they cannot power a home during a blackout unless the system is equipped with home battery backup or a specialized inverter designed for that purpose. Even less intelligent batteries that aren’t embedded in home energy management systems can have limitations during prolonged blackouts.

Imagine a scenario where solar energy might provide power during the day, but it stops at night and the stored battery power is fully consumed. Many people don’t realize that some stored energy is required to bring the solar panels back online the next day. An intelligent home energy management system can plan for this with a Black Start function. In this instance, some reserve power will always be available, and the home energy management system will check the solar system for production. When there is enough energy being produced, the system will automatically reconnect solar and provide the generated power.

One homeowner in Fort Meyers, Florida, experienced the benefits of solar plus battery energy storage system (BESS) first-hand when Hurricane Ian hit in 2022. The strong winds and flooding impacted the grid, causing widespread power outages for days. Even after this man’s battery storage unit was halfway under water and the waters receded, the system still worked in conjunction with the energy from his solar panels to power his home when he needed it the most. Not only has he found his battery and solar solution useful in providing energy security amid extreme weather, but he has also realized energy independence with this system.

Year-round savings

Solar power systems and battery energy storage solutions are indeed investments that homeowners should thoroughly educate themselves on before making a purchase. However, once homeowners realize their cost savings compared to relying fully on the grid, they will see that these solutions ultimately pay for themselves, especially in a time of use (TOU) market.

Under TOU rates, the pricing is typically divided into peak (when demand is the highest, and so is the cost of electricity), off-peak (when demand is the lowest, and so is the cost of electricity), and sometimes shoulder periods that are transitional periods between peak and off-peak: the price of electricity falls lower than peak prices, but higher than offpeak prices. The goal of this pricing structure is to discourage residents from using power when demand is the highest (peak hours), to take pressure off the grid.

Late afternoon to early evening, typically between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., is when peak hours occur under TOU pricing structures. However, this does not align with peak solar production, which tends to fall between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the hours when an array receives the most direct sunlight.

Residents who live in an area with a TOU pricing structure would see immediate energy savings with solar plus BESS, as they can use their solar panels to generate power for free, store it, and then discharge the battery – either consuming the energy or selling it back to the utility – during high-priced peak hours. This is a win-win for the homeowner who can generate the most savings, and the utility company that receives the energy when it needs it most.

California’s implementation of TOU pricing structures and NBT (NEM 3.0) to further incentivize the adoptions of battery storage with solar systems is well documented. However, TOU pricing is becoming popular across the country. While this TOU can be found in many states, Massachusetts and Michigan stand out as recently having started to expand these types of programs to help balance energy load to further stabilize their power grids. The popularity of TOU is only expected to grow.

Looking ahead

It is expected that weather events will become more extreme and frequent over the coming years, causing residents to experience increased outages due to poor grid infrastructure. This, combined with the increasing economic case for solar plus storage, will continue to cement it as the standard industry practice and propel adoption forward.

Vincent Ambrose is Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at FranklinWH Energy Storage, which focuses on energy management solutions that provide safe and reliable energy independence for homeowners.

FranklinWH Energy Storage Inc.  ///  www.franklinwh.com