Residential Solar Battery Storage in Denver, CO

Storage Sweet Spot

Within the storage world, there is only one absolute: there is no “one-size-fits-them-all” solution.

The purpose and further outcome of each application will dictate what type of batteries best suit each particular situation. There are batteries better suited for those in the Denver metro area wanting to go off-the-grid completely versus some that are better suited for grid connected systems. For grid connected systems, batteries can be tailored to avoid demand or time-of-use charges, extend your solar window down into the evening hours and provide back-up to some loads during a grid outage.

• PV Self-Consumption

  Minimizing export of electricity generated by behind-the-meter photovoltaic (PV) systems to maximize the financial benefit of solar PV in areas with utility rate structures that are unfavorable to distributed PV (e.g., non-export tariffs).

• Time-of-Use (TOU) Bill Management

  Behind-the-meter customers can use energy storage systems to reduce their bill because they will be minimizing their electricity purchases during high-consumption hours when time-of-use (TOU) rates are very high and shift those purchase to lower-consumptions times with lower rates.

• Demand Charge Reduction

  In the event of demand charges, energy storage is deployed to shave the load curve to mitigate high energy charges.

• Backup Power

  Backup power is great if a grid setup fails. In this instance, your backup supply will kick on and power things until the grid is back up and running.

The Hybrid Storage Solution

• What is a hybrid system?

  This is a grid connected storage system that is also known as energy storage systems (ESS), home-battery-storage, solar-backup. They all describe a range of home storage solutions for your home in the Denver metro area. They also might differ on how they're coupled, and which battery technology is utilized. However, they all have one thing in common, they are designed to give you a level of energy independence and control that solar alone cannot provide.

• How much storage do I need?

  There is not a straight answer on how much storage you might need until some questions are answered:

  • Are you comfortable storing the excess energy during the day and use it to offset some evening demand?
  • Are you OK with the grid supplying that which was not supplied by your batteries?
  • Or are you more comfortable with a storage system that provides enough power for the full night?
  • Would you like the system to perform during a power outage?
  • Or would you prefer a modular system that can see expansion towards a full back up or even off-the-grid?

• What's your storage sweet spot?

  Every storage solution out there is designed for a specific purpose. For example, we have the Lithium-ion Tesla Powerwall that operates at a high voltage versus the Iron Edison or Adara solutions that can operate at the low 12V, 24V and 48V ranges. Additionally, the type of loads that would run during storage operation dictates if your system needs to be built with energy or power consumption capabilities.

The Off-Grid Solution

What is an off-grid system?

Off-the-grid systems are systems disconnected from the local utility grid i.e. operating independently of the grid. The main purpose of these systems is to provide reliable power to complete households, businesses and even communities. They can store energy for several days to supply your energy when the sun is not shining bright and powering the panels continuously. These systems are coupled normally with natural gas or propane generators to accommodate high power consumers (i.e. furnace, AC)

Off-grid systems are by nature unique since each case is different from the next. The following steps are needed for a successful off-grid design:

• Load Profile: a detailed study of the loads to be powered by the off-grid systems needs to happen to understand the daily energy demand the system will cover.
• Days of Autonomy:how many sun-less days can the system run for on batter power
• System Main Voltage: a system voltage needs to be chosen. This are normally 12V, 24V or 48V.
• Storage Battery Capacity (Ah): after daily energy is calculated and system voltage is chosen, the number of ampere-hours can be obtained to choose the right battery system.
• Solar Panels: after the size of the battery bank has been calculated, the number of solar panels needed are calculated based on winter sun-hours for your specific location.