Watch Now “Our Daily Show Interview! Grid Solar: All Things Batteries and What it Means For You!” HIGHLAND – With statewide legislative changes in net metering, GRID Solar, LLC, is changing how they design their solar systems. Jason Mitchell, co-owner of GRID Solar, explained that it’s now advantageous for homeowners to install solar systems that include a battery backup. Mitchell breaks down how the battery works and how it will help customers save money on their electricity bills. “The so-called net metering, you don’t have anymore. Your battery is helping you with the arbitrage of that,” he said. “Basically, it’s going to go in and out all day as the clouds move overhead and your system production drops down. But you’re still cranking power into the house; your battery’s going to help supplement that. And then when you have more solar than what you need for the house, it’s going to recharge that battery. That’s the ideal scenario.” Mitchell explained that the battery is a bank of power. As the solar panels power the house, any extra solar electricity will be stored in the battery. During the nighttime, when there is no solar electricity being produced, the system will pull power from the battery. This contributes to a customer’s “grid resilience” and saves money because the system does not need to pull electricity from the grid. Going forward, all of GRID Solar’s designs will include a battery. The battery is about the size of a dishwasher and can fit in a utility room or basement. Mitchell noted that batteries have many of the same benefits of a generator. When the power goes out, the solar system can pull electricity from the battery so that the house still has power. GRID can offer a whole-home backup, or they can do critical circuit backups where only a few outlets still have power. However, while the battery is comparable to a generator, Mitchell said it is much more convenient. The battery doesn’t require regular maintenance, and it’s cheaper than owning and operating a generator. Mitchell said that a generator can be “a giant pain in the butt,” while the battery is always on standby and ready to go. “That’s the big difference between that and an older gas generator,” he explained. “You buy the generator, you hope you never have to use it, it sits there, it runs for ten minutes a week just to keep the juices flowing, and then they’re still going to need annual maintenance. Most batteries have no annual maintenance required whatsoever. You don’t have to put fuel in them. They just charge from the solar panels that you have. Even during a power outage, it’s not going to cost you anything extra like if you had a gas generator with a propane tank.” Mitchell added that a lot of solar companies tend to “villainize” the utility companies for the new net metering changes, but GRID Solar recognizes that it’s a statewide legislative change. He added that grid resilience, which the batteries help promote, will be “good for everybody.” “We’re not looking to villainize anybody, but at the same time, there’s a new ecosystem building,” he said. “We’re building a new decentralized grid, and that grid resilience is going to be good for everybody. The companies, the homeowners, everybody.” For more information about how a solar system works and how it could benefit your home, you can visit the official GRID Solar website at GRIDSolarLLC.com or their Facebook page. GRID Solar is also happy to answer any questions about net metering, battery backups or anything else related to solar energy.
