As demand for energy increases, the amount of fossil fuels required to power homes, commercial, and industrial facilities continue. Extraction and processing of fossil fuels for energy has, over time, continued to devastate the environment through harmful emissions. Today, investment in alternative energy sources including solar and wind is at the highest.
While clean, renewable energy offers immense cost-benefits and environmental benefits, there’s a major downside in intermittency. Solar and wind energy are forms of variable renewable energy (VRE) also called intermittent renewable energy sources (IRES). They’re non-dispatchable because they fluctuate and depend on availability of sunshine or wind.
Battery storage has emerged as the most effective solution to the problem of variability with renewables. Solar energy batteries today are more efficient and reliable and the costs continue to fall. More global brands are investing in solar battery technology to help consumers harness more of the clean and renewable energy.
But how does battery storage affect the environment? Does it boost the environmental conservation efforts or are there downsides to this storage technology? Read on to find more.
Breaking Down Solar Battery Storage
To appreciate the impact battery storage has in solar energy production, it’s imperative to understand how the technology works. A solar battery is a critical component of your solar panel system. In a nutshell, this component of the solar energy system stores excess energy generated by the solar panels.
- Now, most solar panel systems generate electricity during the day. In most homes, this is a period of low energy consumption. In the evening, your household requires more electricity but with no sunshine, and you revert to the grid to power your home.
- A solar energy battery can resolve the problem of variability by storing energy generated by your solar panels. The solar panels convert the sunlight into DC electricity and an inverter converts this into AC electricity for use in the house.
- The surplus power generated goes to a battery which converts it into AC power for storage. When the batteries are fully charged, you can still export the excess electricity to the grid. This means you can preserve electricity in your home whenever you need it.
- When there’s no sunlight, you don’t have to go back to the grid electricity. With a high-capacity energy storage system, you can finally get your home completely off the grid. You can learn more about high-capacity battery storage systems from this website.
How Battery Storage Helps the Environment
One of the main reasons to invest in a solar energy system is to protect the environment. If you can optimize the system for more environmental benefits, the better. This is what battery storage offers. Here are some benefits of solar battery storage you should know:
1. Reducing Emissions
The world still depends on fossil fuels for energy and this comes at a devastating cost to the environment. Recent studies show that emissions from fossil fuels are the main cause of global warming. In 2018, for instance, fossil fuels accounted for 89% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Most households, businesses and industries still rely on this dirty source of fuel.
Renewable energy sources such as solar offer an alternative and can help reduce emissions greatly. With solar battery storage, it’s possible to finally leverage the full benefits of solar energy. Many homes with solar panels resort to the grid due to lack of storage.
Any time you go back to the grid, you promote fossil fuels use which negatively impacts the environment. By investing in solar batteries for your home, you can finally go independent of national grid electricity. This cuts emissions and contributes to environmental conservation.
2. Water Conservation
Water is an essential natural resource and also a scarce one. Hydroelectricity relies on water for electricity generation. While this is a renewable energy source, damming rivers to create manmade lakes affects the local ecosystem.
There’s a lot of devastation and disruption of the environment for the construction of these massive hydropower projects. By adopting solar power, you can reduce reliance on hydropower and save the environment. Most hydropower projects are accompanied by resistance from communities and environmentalists because of the negative impact they have on the environment.
In the past few years, several studies have been done to show how populated cities are likely to run out of clean drinking water over the next decade. This is why it is important to ensure that water is used in a resourceful manner by everyone on the planet.
3. Minimize Pollution
Nitrogen oxide is a major environmental pollutant caused by burning of fossil fuels. This pollutant contributes to the formation of smog and acid rain. The main sources of nitrogen oxides include coal-fired power plants and large industrial operations.
Clean solar energy can save the environment by reducing fossil fuel burning. With an energy storage system in your home, you can go off-grid and reduce reliance on coal-produced power. Reducing fossil fuels can save the environment for future generations and help reverse the damage done over centuries.
Everyone wants to look for ways and means to do their bit to help the environment. Taking small steps by turning to renewable sources of energy can help you accomplish the same. It can also encourage others to take the lead from you and adopt the same to their lifestyle.
Final Thoughts
Investing in solar energy is the smartest decision you can make today. You save money, increase the value of your home and contribute to environmental conservation. To optimize your solar energy system, consider adding battery storage as this has a bigger impact on the environment.
A lot of people think that investing in solar energy in the form of panels or battery storage solutions is expensive. Yes, there is a one-time cost. However, over the long run, you will see that you have been able to save a lot. In the process, you have also been able to help the environment.
If you have any other questions on battery storage, solar energy or any other renewable power, let us know in the comments section below. We will try to answer them to the best of our abilities.
