Building a Better World with Solar+ Battery Storage

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To stop global warming and dangerous CO2 emissions we need to put coordinated and concentrated efforts in every part of the society- government, business, and the community. This includes all of us as homeowners. As homeowners, we can play a major part in keeping our planet green by getting smart, going solar and reducing our collective carbon footprint.

Today’s smart homes have energy-efficient appliances connected through the internet and you can turn on your light and heat before you reach your driveway and check on your kids from work.  You can water your yard from another country. But to do all these your home needs energy and a solar system plus battery storage can provide you with that energy.

Air conditioning our homes takes an enormous amount of energy and dollars – not to mention keeping other appliances running when we need them the most. Our grid structures are failing,6 and many grids can’t handle increased power demands on a hot day.

New Dawn Energy can help to boost energy efficiency in your home and businesses. Our solar+battery system is optimized to give you control over your power usage. This means you get to see how much energy you use real-time and decide when and where the lights stay on.

And our solar+storage system allows you to use solar power stored in the battery when energy rates are at the highest. This helps to maximize the production of your solar panel, and your savings. Also, your neighborhood power outage or blackout, does not affect you and you determine what is powered in your home.

Solar+storage can be cheaper than diesel-powered generators. Between the low price of the unit itself, the higher capacity compared to other portable generators, more infrequent maintenance requirements, and zero fuel costs, this just makes financial sense.

Going solar can help lower your utility bills and be prepared for the inevitable power outage. Everyone struggles with rising energy prices, and to help combat these costs, more homeowners are choosing to become less reliant on the grid.

Embracing new technologies such as solar+battery storage can increase efficiencies in your home and help you with real long term savings. But shifting to solar plus battery storage can be overwhelming. So, start with New Dawn solar and begin saving on your monthly utility bill immediately.

Get a complimentary solar quote that is specific to your family’s energy needs and start building your smart home today. Our planet… will thank you.

Lead-acid vs lithium-ion battery Comparison

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The lead-acid battery has been around for over 100 years that costs less, requires regular maintenance to keep them working properly and doesn’t last as long.

Lithium-ion battery relatively newer technology with a longer lifespan, high power density, higher efficiency, does not require regular maintenance but costs more.

Both technologies are affected by discharge cycles, Lithium-ion has a significantly higher cycle life than lead-acid in deep discharge applications such as in solar. This disparity is further increased as ambient temperatures increase.

The cycle life of both chemistries can be increased by limiting the depth of discharge (DoD), discharge rate, and temperature, but lead-acid is generally much more sensitive to each of these factors.

In hot climates where the average temperature is 33°C, the disparity between lithium-ion and lead-acid is further increased. The cycle life for lead-acid (flooded and VRLA) drops to 50% of its moderate climate rating while lithium-ion will remain stable until temperatures routinely exceed 49°C.

Another critical consideration for lead-acid is how long the system will take to discharge. The shorter the discharge period, the less capacity is available from the lead-acid battery. A 200Ah lead-acid battery will only deliver 120Ah if discharged over a one hour period. In contrast, a 200Ah lithium-ion battery system will achieve over 184Ah. This condition makes lithium-ion very well suited for applications where full discharge occurs in less than eight hours.

  Flooded
lead-acid
VRLA
lead-acid
Lithium-ion (LiNCM)
Energy Density (Wh/L) 80 100 250
Specific Energy (Wh/kg) 30 40 150
Regular Maintenance Yes No No
Initial Cost ($/kWh) – prices are only a market average and estimate   65   120   600
Cycle Life 1,200 @ 50% 1,000 @ 50% DoD 1,900 @ 80% DoD
Typical state of charge window   50%   50%   80%
Temperature sensitivity Degrades significantly
above 25°C
Degrades significantly
above 25°C
Degrades significantly
above 45°C
Efficiency 100% @20-hr rate
80% @4-hr rate
60% @1-hr rate
100% @20-hr rate
80% @4-hr rate
60% @1-hr rate
100% @20-hr rate
99% @4-hr rate
92% @1-hr rate
Solar+Storage

ADDING ENERGY STORAGE TO YOUR EXISTING SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

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Adding a battery to your existing solar power system is not always an easy task. If your solar power system was installed storage-ready, adding the battery could be easy but with the rapid advancements of solar-plus-storage in the last few years, it is unlikely many old solar systems can easily accommodate battery connection. But that does not mean it is impossible; there are just a few important questions you must answer before starting a retrofit solar-plus-storage installation project.

What is your inverters make and model?

The inverter used on an existing solar panel system will dictate how a battery can be added to an existing solar power system. Solar-plus-storage systems are either AC-coupled or DC-coupled. AC-coupled systems require an additional, separate inverter to charge the batteries. DC-coupled systems use a charge controller to feed the power from the solar array to the batteries and then through an inverter for grid-tied use. For example, existing systems with microinverters which make the DC-AC conversion at the panel-level will need an AC-coupled system for storage, since the battery cannot be incorporated into the DC lines before AC-conversion.

To accommodate energy storage in an AC coupled system, existing grid-tie inverters must have frequency control capability. If the existing older inverters cannot frequency shift, they should be replaced to add batteries. Adding new inverter that can regulate charges is the only way to include storage on this type of existing solar PV system. Inverters are usually warrantied to 5 /10 years. If the inverter is approaching its warrantied lifespan, it’s a good idea to upgrade. It may be advantageous to replace the inverter with an inverter designed to accommodate storage to enable options to integrate storage immediately or in the future.

Why do you want to add storage?

Another question to answer – is your storage solution for emergency power? Or to store excess energy produced by solar during the day, so that it can be used in the evening when the sun goes down? Or in places with a TOU tariff, charge the batteries with solar or grid power when rates are cheap and discharge the batteries when power is most expensive. Depending on your objective, it is important to have an inverter that allows for your specific storage need and an appropriately sized battery bank to support your power needs.

Who owns the solar system?

Another question to answer – is your existing solar PV system owned by you or leased?  If you have full ownership adding storage is easy. If your existing solar panel system leased it may have restrictions on adding certain equipment. Typically leased solar power systems have a wide range of restrictions as to what changes can be made to the home or business and its electrical loads. Adding energy storage may be prohibited by lease terms.

If you are thinking of adding energy storage to your existing solar PV system and much it would cost to have peace of mind with a solar plus battery power system complete the Free solar Assessment request at our website or give us a call at 416-855-9377.

We are one of the top solar energy companies providing solutions that are second to none. We provide solar plus storage hybrid energy solutions across Ontario including Toronto, Markham, Mississauga, Burlington, Oakville, Brampton, Vaughan, Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa, Caledon, Stouffville, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Aurora, Milton, Georgetown, and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KWH AND KW

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KWvsKWHRPeople looking for solar options often puzzled with terms kilowatt and kilowatt-hours. Electricity used is measured by kilowatt hour and the solar power systems are sized in kilowatts. This is where questions often come about kilowatts and kilowatt-hours.

So what exactly does a kWh mean and how does it differ from a kilowatt (kW)?

A kilowatt is a measure of how much power (capacity) a device can provide; kilowatt-hours define the amount of work performed in one hour of time or amount of energy used to do that work. A 1.5 kilowatt (1500 W capacity) kettle will boil the same amount of water faster than a 1 kilowatt (1000 watt capacity) kettle. Regardless of the power of the kettles, energy needed to boil the same amount of water is the same. In this case, energy is provided by electricity and the amount of electricity used by both kettles to boil the water is the same.

Energy use and kWh in context

Say 1.5 kilowatt (1.5KW) kettle took 0.5 hours (30 minutes) to boil the water, electricity used = 1.5 X 0.5 = 0.75 kwhr; unit of measure for electricity (energy) is kwhr. We know smaller kettle takes longer to boil the water; how long? We know electricity (energy) used by both kettles are the same; 1 X T = 0.75, T = 0.75 hours (45 minutes), 1-kilowatt kettle will take 45 minutes to boil the same amount of water.

Why kWh matter when you’re going solar

The Net Metering program allows offsetting the electricity purchased from the utility company with solar electricity during twelve consecutive months. To do this as solar energy solutions providers we need to size the solar power system that is able to produce the amount of electricity a customer use in twelve consecutive months. Electricity bill report usage in kwhr, and when evaluating solar installation to offset this electricity we talk about the size of the solar power system needed in kW.

In the earlier example, we talked about how a 1,000-watt kettle will use 1 kilowatt-hour in one hour of use. When talking about solar, the process of converting power capacity (watts) into expected energy output (kWh) is not as simple due to a number of factors. One thing is certain: a kettle will consume power at a constant rate regardless of whether or not you live in Toronto or California, if it’s raining or if it’s placed on a certain type of countertop. Whereas solar panels output is greatly affected by the environment and circumstances it is installed.

Factors such as the angle and orientation of the roof and the amount of sunlight hours in the town solar panels are located will significantly impact how much electricity it will produce. So, for example, a solar panel on the north side of a roof will produce than the same panel on the south side of the roof because south facing roofs typically receive higher sunlight exposure.

Those wondering how much a solar installation would cost to offset the electricity bill, complete the Free solar Assessment request at our website e or give us a call at 416-855-9377.

We are one of the top solar energy companies providing solutions that are second to none. We provide energy solutions across Toronto, Markham, Mississauga, Burlington, Oakville, Brampton, Vaughan, Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa, Caledon, Stouffville, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Aurora, Milton, Georgetown, and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

 

Is Your Solar Panel Installation Battery Storage Ready?

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Lithium-ion battery cost has fallen since 2010 and it highly benefits the electric vehicle and renewable energy storage markets. Although Lithium-ion battery costs have fallen considerably, they are still not affordable for many home and business owners. Even if lithium-ion solar battery cost doesn’t fit in your current budget, planning for a solar system with energy storage will be a good idea for the future and save your money in the long run.

Solar+StorageWhy Install Batteries?
Grid-tied systems are required to shut down during blackouts, even when the sun is shining. This is a regulated safety design feature of grid-tied solar energy systems intended to prevent workers from getting electrocuted while performing repair work on power lines. Unless solar PV system has battery storage, solar system owners cannot use the solar power from the grid-tied solar PV system during power outages.

Installing batteries also enables the use of solar energy when the sun isn’t shining-night and cloudy days. Some utilities also charge higher rates during peak hours and for peak power consumption. Installing batteries allow customers to use stored solar energy instead of more costly grid power during peak hours and reduce peak power consumption. This option is becoming very popular in Hawaii and California, where cost of electricity associated with peak hours is very high.

If you are in the process of installing a solar panel system and want the option of battery storage in the future, it will be helpful to plan accordingly. If the solar system is designed considering storage option in mind, it will be relatively easy to add the batteries to the system in the future.

It is more difficult and more costly to add battery storage in the future if the solar system is not battery ready. Choosing a solar system with an inverter that has battery storage capabilities is one way to prepare for adding batteries in the future. This would enable the solar system to operate only as a grid-tied solar panel system until batteries are added. Therefore, it will be beneficial to consult a reputable solar PV system designer to avoid unnecessary expenses in the future. New Dawn Energy Solutions will work with you to design your storage ready solar PV system.

Thinking to install solar now and add storage later? Contact us for a free consultation at info@newdawn-es.com or 416-855-9377.

Phone: 416-855-9377