Solar Plus Storage – A Worthwhile Investment

Solar PV plants with integrated battery storage solutions can be a worthwhile investment. Here are a few ways battery storage systems increase solar PV plant ROI over time.

Independence from rising electricity costs

Electricity prices may be relatively low in many states, but history tells us that prices fluctuate. Homes that create, store, and use self-produced power are safeguarded from any rise in electricity costs. They are also free from peak demand, time-of-use, or feed-in charges and restrictions imposed by grid operators.

Protect solar investment against lower solar incentives

Much of the solar plant owner’s ROI is found in the various incentive programs throughout the U.S. Net-metering and performance-based incentive programs credit or pay solar PV plant owners for the excess electricity produced. These programs reward solar plant owners for the specific amount of power produced. In this current political climate, the trend seems to be lowering incentives, not raising them. We have seen net-metering caps be met and incentive programs change throughout the states. A solar plus storage solution is a way to future-proof the plant owner’s investment, even after the death of net-metering. Making use of self-produced power eliminates the need to purchase electricity from the grid, and therefore increases solar plant ROI. In turn, solar installers and developers remain profitable by maintaining project levels.

Benefits of Solar Performance Plus Battery Storage Monitoring

Simplified, whole solar PV array performance monitoring

Smart home technology is designed to make life easier and to streamline everyday tasks, however, with the addition of more and more technology, the process seems to get more complicated. The same is true when adding additional components to a solar array. Disparate inverters and varying devices create a headache for solar O&M providers when it comes to monitoring their customer’s assets. A monitoring portal that integrates with a number of different types of devices across several brands can make this process easier. The O&M provider saves time by only having to learn one system.

Complete solar plant data – easy analysis + fast troubleshooting

Performance monitoring matched with storage monitoring and control provides a complete picture of what is happening with the solar PV plant. The more information the O&M provider has, the better the service they can offer. When performance errors are detected quickly then the service provider can act fast, eliminating downtime and maximizing on production.

Optimized usage of self-produced solar power

The operator can determine how and when it makes the most sense economically to use, store, or distribute power with detailed insight views on energy flow.

Battery storage solutions are not just a thing of the future. They are becoming more and more popular in top solar states. Be sure that you are choosing a battery-ready monitoring platform to avoid having to monitor multiple devices across several platforms.