Backup Power

One of the great benefits of producing your own energy with a solar system is the potential to keep your essential electrical loads running during short or even extended periods of grid disruption. By adding a battery component to your solar system, you can store excess solar production for when you need it the most. Take a look at two of our most popular battery backup options below to see which technology seems like the best fit for your electrical needs.

TESLA POWERWALL

The Tesla Powerwall is a lithium ion backup power solution that comes with an automatic transfer switch and an intuitive user interface that you can control through a handy app. This solution is great for 1-2 day power outages.

Western Solar is an authorized installer of Tesla Powerwall and for the majority of solar homeowners looking to add a lithium ion backup power solution, the Tesla Powerwall is going to be one of your best options in terms of functionality, warranty, price point and user interface. (It also looks pretty fabulous.)

Each Tesla Powerwall comes with a Backup Gateway – this detects when the grid goes down and isolates your Powerwall, solar system and backed up loads from the grid, safely keeping your home energized. Your Tesla Powerwall then monitors the energy your home is using, the energy your solar system is producing, and the remaining charge in your battery to ensure you have constant power and can manage your energy usage to last the course. When the grid comes back online, the Powerwall seamlessly switches back to grid-tied mode and recharges from your solar production so you are ready for the next power outage. If you want a simple and intuitive storage system that extends your solar day and provides you power through 1-2 day outages, the Tesla Powerwall is a great solution!

OUTBACK RADIAN

The Outback Radian inverter is able to manage multiple power sources, which means you can have the utility grid, your solar system and a standby generator all working together to ensure that you always have power to depend upon through extended power outages (2+ days).

If you want to have reliable electricity through an extended power outage in Western Washington, you are likely going to have to depend on more than one power source. With our short winter days it isn’t feasible to rely on a solar system alone to recharge your batteries. The Outback Radian can manage multiple power sources and it is also one of the few backup battery solutions that is fully programmable without an internet connection, giving you complete control over functionality even in the event of a sustained period of grid disruption.

An Outback Radian inverter can be paired with either AGM or Lithium Ion batteries depending on your price point and the frequency with which you anticipate cycling them. Your designer will be able to explore both options with you.