Could Solar Power Help You Gain Energy Independence?

Energy independence is so much more than just a modern buzz term, and while it can (and does) save you money on your energy bills, it’s perhaps the long term and overall benefits of reducing the world’s dependency on harmful fossil fuels, that encourage many people to switch to solar power.

What does energy independence mean?

By having a solar system with battery backup installed at your home (or business), you can satisfy all your energy requirements in a cost-effective way, without having to rely on the grid.

What happens when you gain energy independence?

By switching to a solar system with battery backup, you can gain the following advantages:

• No longer be forced to rely on utility rate increases
• Know exactly where your power is coming from
• Consume only power that is renewable, unlike power sourced from utility companies which typically depend upon renewable and non-renewable sources combined
• No loss of power during a blackout – let’s look at this in a little more detail:

Battery backup for a solar system is required in a blackout, even though you can connect to the grid, for the following reasons:

• As sunlight changes, solar systems produce amounts of power that are unpredictable, and the quantity of power is independent from how much power your home is consuming at that moment. By regulating your power, the grid acts as a huge storage system that you can feed into and draw from, as and when needed. But by connecting your solar system directly to your electrical system, it will cause potentially harmful power surges that could destroy electronics and appliances, and make lights flicker continually.
• When the grid is down – such as in the event of a blackout – solar systems also shut down to protect any repair crews that might be working to detect and fix the problem. Should any power leak onto the grid lines, this could prove deadly for repair crews, and in fact, utilities make it mandatory for solar systems to shut down under these circumstances.

With battery backup, however, you can continue to access power from your solar system, safely.

Does energy independence have to mean going completely off-grid?

While for many, true energy independence means going off-grid, many homeowners choose to stay connected to the grid so that they sell any excess energy generated by their system, back to the grid. This also means that they can still access the grid should their solar system not be able to keep up with their consumption demands.

So, if you produce as much renewable energy as you require, and don’t need to pull any energy from the grid, naturally your energy bill will be net zero. However, should your energy requirements increase for any reason, such as if you host a party, without battery backup for your solar system, you may need to access the gird in order to keep your home cool and continue entertaining your guests comfortably.

Solar power can undoubtedly help you gain energy independence, and with battery backup, you can take it one step further and reduce any dependency on the grid, entirely. If you prefer the safety net of the grid, then by all means have a solar system installed, and remain connected it; you just might want to think about what true energy independence means to you.

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