Choosing the right solar battery can be difficult. So many terms get thrown your way, AC vs DC coupled, battery capacity, round-trip efficiency, depth of discharge. Unless you’re already a battery guru, it’s hard to know what it all means, and just as hard to make the right choices based on them. That’s why we decided to make this article, breaking down not just what we consider the best batteries available, but the best ones for different circumstances.
If you’re adding a battery to an existing solar energy system, it’s important to know whether or not your inverter is a Hybrid inverter i.e. an inverter which can act as both a solar inverter and a battery inverter. If it is, then you have the option to add a DC-coupled battery connected directly to the hybrid inverter.
If it isn’t a Hybrid inverter, not to worry, a simple solution is an AC-coupled battery linked directly to your home’s electrical switchboard. If you’d like to learn more refer to the diagram below, or to this page which goes into greater detail about the differences between AC-coupled vs DC-coupled batteries.
The best batteries when installing a new system
If you have the opportunity to select a battery and inverter combination best suited to compliment each other, our choice for the best Hybrid inverter + Battery package is…
The Huawei LUNA2000 w/ the Huawei L1 or M1 Hybrid inverter
The award winning Huawei LUNA is our most popular battery solution here at Solargain. Using 5kWh LiFePO4 battery modules, known for being the safest lithium battery type, the Huawei LUNA has the ability to scale from 5kWh up to 30kWh. Considering a battery is a long-term investment, scalability is an important aspect to think about. Your home's energy needs are likely to grow over time, so we recommend choosing a battery that can grow with it.
While some of our battery ‘Runners Up’ offer larger battery size options, the Huawei LUNA’s 30kWh maximum storage capacity is more than big enough for most family homes. Plus, the Huawei LUNA battery earns bonus points for the fact that each battery module has its own built-in Energy Optimiser. This prevents older battery modules from restricting new battery modules added later.
With the optional Huawei Backup Box, the system can also provide Backup Power during grid-outages. While some other battery options have this backup hardware built-in, the Huawei LUNA separates the two. For those with a reliable grid power supply, you can choose to forego the unnecessary extra cost of backup hardware.
Lastly, being a DC-coupled battery, the Huawei Hybrid inverter and LUNA battery achieves high round-trip efficiency by converting DC to AC only when your home actually needs it.
Runners Up:
- Sungrow SBR battery with Sungrow hybrid inverter
- BYD battery with Fronius GEN24+ hybrid inverter
- SolarEdge Energy Bank battery with SolarEdge Energy Hub hybrid inverter
- QCELLS Q.CORE
A number of factors went into selecting our top batteries. A balancing act of finding the best selection of traits desirable in a battery; Safety, Scalability, Round-trip efficiency, Backup capability, Evergen compatibility, and of course value-for-money.
Though Huawei took our top spot, both the Sungrow, BYD, SolarEdge and QCELLS batteries have their own key features that could make them a better choice, depending on the needs of your home.
The best batteries for retrofitting to an existing system
If you are going for an AC-coupled battery, then our #1 recommendation would be:
The Tesla Powerwall
Designed by the world renowned company, Tesla, the Powerwall puts all the technology developed for their fantastic electric vehicles to the best possible use in a high capacity, slim & stylish home battery. With 13.5kWh of storage, backup capability, and glycol cooling system, it’s an excellent choice to add to any home. Thanks to its own built-in battery inverter, it can be retrofitted to any existing system regardless of the solar components already installed.
Runners Up:
QCELLS Q.CORE (A5S)
The one to watch:
Enphase IQ battery
The Enphase IQ is set to release sometime this year, and is looking like a promising new battery that will give the Tesla Powerwall a run for its money. Scalable in increments of 5kWh battery modules, the Enphase IQ battery will appeal to those who require a larger or smaller battery than the one-size Tesla Powerwall.
Like the Tesla Powerwall, the Enphase IQ battery will take control of its own charging & discharging, making it an easy retrofittable solution. We look forward to adding the Enphase IQ battery to our product-line when it releases, so keep your eyes peeled!
If you’d like to learn more about these batteries, you can read all about them on their product pages linked above, or get in touch through the form below to discuss them with one of our Solar & Battery Consultants.
