Solar Systems with Battery Backup

American Solar is a Premier Dealer of SunPower Solar Products

American Solar is one of the few solar installation companies in Northern CA which specializes in the design, engineering, installation and integration of grid-tied solar systems with battery backup.

 99% percent of today’s residential and commercial solar installations are grid-tied, without an integrated battery system to store energy.  In this case, the utility grid acts as the energy storage system by using the extra energy your solar system produces, and crediting you back the same amount of free energy when you need it.

 But what happens when the grid goes down?  Well, a traditional grid-tied solar system will shut down as well, so as to prevent energizing the grid during an outage, which could result in the electrocution of a utility lineman working to fix the problem. 

If your home or business has electrical loads which can’t afford to lose power during a black or brown out (i.e. critical electrical equipment, medical devices, computer servers, etc.), you may want to consider adding backup battery power as part of your electrical system.

With a battery backup system, when the grid goes down you will still have power to the specified electrical loads in your house or business.  A critical part of the design and engineering process is to determine which electrical circuits you want to power in the event of an outage and for how long.  Some customers want their entire property to retain power, while others are only interested in having a few circuits energized during a grid outage (i.e. refrigerator, medical device, server room).  The scope of the battery backup system is dependent entirely on how much power will you need and for how long.

 Battery Backup systems are much more complex than traditional grid-tied solar systems.  They require more equipment and maintenance, and cost more than traditional solar, but you’ll have the peace of mind that should there be an earthquake, brown out or black out, you’ll be one of the few who can count on having clean, regenerative backup power for your home or business.  

Contact American Solar to see how we may service you.