How to Use Solar Panel Directly Without Battery?

The world is gradually taking stronger steps towards turning sustainable and solar energy is one of the sustainable energy options available to you. Solar panels are probably the most famous solar energy devices. They are used to convert light from the sun into usable electricity. You can then use this energy to run your appliances, be off-grid, and whatnot. Since not everyone is well-versed in using solar panels, many questions are circulating about solar panels. Like, can I use solar panel and inverter without battery, or how to use solar panel directly without battery? In this article, we will try to cover everything related to solar panels that you must know.

How to Use Solar Panel Directly Without Battery?

Don’t worry it’s quite possible. See, if you don’t have a battery then you can’t store solar energy. The solar panels provide enough energy during the day and this can power your whole home. However, during the early morning and evening time, solar production is lower, while the energy needs could be higher. During these time frames of the day, You’re waking up, getting ready for the day, or making dinner and doing homework with the kids. That’s why you’ll need a lot of power. Unfortunately, during these hours solar panel production is just getting momentum or is tapering off. This is a big challenge for solar owners without battery storage. To tackle this problem, you should draw power from the grid as it acts as a giant energy backup system.

During the day, solar panels are likely to provide more than enough energy to power your home. This excess energy can be sent into the grid to power your local community. Simply, when the sun’s shining, you use your solar power and send excess power to the grid and when it’s not, you draw the power from the grid. This kind of setup is referred to as a grid-tied system. It is considered a great way to “store energy” without needing a battery system. After this, let’s cover the question- can I use solar panel and inverter without battery?

What are Main Components of a Solar Energy System?

Any solar energy system has these 4 main components-

1. Panels: A solar panel is the most visible element in a solar energy system and you must have seen it. The solar panels are made up of small photovoltaic cells. These cells are mostly made up of semi-conductive materials like silicon. Silicon can conduct electricity while also maintaining the electrical imbalance needed to create an electric field.

2. Inverters: Inverters convert DC electricity that the solar panels produce to AC electricity and thus inverter is a very crucial part of any solar energy system.

3. Racking: In a solar energy system, mounting/racking is really important. It attaches your panels to the roof.

4. Batteries: They are used to store the energy generated during the day. This energy is then used throughout the night when the system isn’t generating power.

What Batteries are Used in Solar Panels?

These are the main types of batteries used in solar panels-

1. Lithium Ion Batteries: They have high efficiency, energy density, and cell voltage. They also have low self-discharge rates. The only downside of them is that they have high manufacturing costs and they are vulnerable to explosions due to chemical, mechanical, or thermal stress.

2. Lead Acid Batteries: These batteries are the oldest type of rechargeable batteries. In these batteries, the electrodes and grids are made up of lead. They are recyclable, cost-effective, and dependable. Their cons are that they are heavy and have a low cycle and deep discharge stability.

3. Nickel Cadmium: These batteries are low maintenance as they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. Their downside is their low energy density and high discharge rate. Additionally, these batteries can cause toxicity in the environment if they are not disposed of correctly.

4. Sodium Nickel Chloride: These batteries are also called ZEBRA cells and they have a high energy density. They are also highly recyclable. After this let’s see how to use solar panel directly without battery.

Also Read: How to Choose Solar Panels for Food Truck

Can I Use Solar Panel and Inverter Without Battery Storage?

After learning how to use solar panel directly without battery, let’s answer your question- can I use solar panel and inverter without battery? Yes, but only if you are fine with drawing power from the grid and aren’t worried about power outages. In the case of the USA, most power outages are fixed within a few hours or at most a day or two. Any typical solar battery has the capacity to provide electricity to critical loads for about one or two days in case of a power outage. However, your decision of going with or without a battery is based on the cost of a battery versus the benefits it provides to you.

Even if you are using solar power without energy storage and just pulling from the grid, your carbon footprint will still significantly reduce. But if you’re bothered by the idea of pulling power from fossil fuel-based plants when your panels aren’t producing, you can also select only renewable energy sources from your utility company. Keep in mind that these renewable programs aren’t still available everywhere. So, first, check with your utility provider to see if this option is available for you or not. Also, read Why Transparent Solar Panels Are The Future?

Off-Grid PV Systems: Why Are Batteries so Necessary?

Now that you are well aware of how to use solar panel directly without battery, you should also learn about the reasons why batteries are so necessary for the off-grid PV system. The off-grid PV systems require batteries because the following two main reasons:

1. Voltage and Frequency Stability

Batteries are necessary for off-grid PV systems for the stability of frequency and voltage. To avoid losing frequency and voltage stability, the solar inverter has a series of control devices in place that provide it with the ability to decrease or increase the power output while keeping the voltage and frequency stable. There is only one requirement for the solar inverter to achieve this: to have a stable voltage source at the input, which is the reason why batteries are extremely necessary for an off-grid solar system.

2. Energy Storage

Batteries are very necessary for off-grid PV systems to store energy. The off-grid homes are only able to produce power during sunlight hours and during early morning and evening time the solar production is lower, but the energy needs are higher. This lets the off-grid homes be left entirely without power.

For a family living in an off-grid family to have uninterrupted power 24/7, it is necessary to have an energy storage system, and a battery. The batteries allow such homes to achieve solar self-consumption, ensuring that the family has power at home during the daytime, at night, and even during cloudy days when the PV systems might not be able to generate the required energy to power the load.

Can You Use a Grid-Tied or Hybrid Inverter Without a DC to DC Converter?

The answer to this question is an obvious NO. Unlike grid-tied inverters, hybrid inverters don’t use a grid as a reference. These inverters will have problems with the varying voltage which will cause problems with the voltage output and frequency regulation. Inverters are delicate electronics, they cannot have such variable inputs without a voltage reference.

What are the Benefits of Solar Battery Storage?

To get the most out of your solar panel system, it will be great to add battery backup for your solar panels. These are some main benefits of a solar battery system-

1. Excess Electricity Generation is Stored

Often, your solar panel system can produce more power than needed, especially when no one is at home or on extremely sunny days. If you don’t have solar battery storage, this excess energy will be sent to the grid.

If you don’t have battery storage and you have participated in a net metering program, for that extra generation you can earn credit. However, this credit is not in a 1:1 ratio in the general case. On the other hand, with battery storage, instead of going to the grid, the extra electricity charges up your battery for later use. This stored energy can be used during times of lower generation. It also reduces your reliance on the grid for electricity.

2. Relief from Power Outages

The excess energy produced by your solar panels can be stored in your batteries. This will ensure that your home has electricity available during power outages and the other time when the grid is down.

3. Reduces Carbon Footprint

Using solar panel energy storage, you can go green by making the most out of the clean energy produced by your solar panels. If you don’t use batteries, your energy won’t be stored and you will need to rely on the grid when your solar panels don’t generate enough for your needs. So, you will likely need to use dirty energy when drawing from the grid because most of these grids depend on fossil fuels for energy.

4. Provides Electricity Even After the Sun Goes Down

Solar panels don’t generate electricity when the sun goes down. During these hours, if you don’t have any battery storage, you will need to draw from a grid. However, if you do have solar battery storage, you can use more of your own solar electricity at night. It gives you more energy independence and also helps you keep your electric bill low.

5. A Quiet Solution to Backup Power Needs

Solar power batteries are a 100% noiseless backup power storage option. These batteries are maintenance and don’t have to make noises like gas-backup generators.

What Happens With Excess Generated Energy in Solar Panel System Without a Battery?

It’s impossible to power off-grid homes without a battery and by entirely using a DC to DC converter as such converters only work for small and medium loads. In such a case, if you have a solar panel system without a battery then the system will not take full advantage of the generated energy, causing all that excess energy to go to waste. However, if you have a grid-tied home, then these homes have the net metering system which accounts for the excess generated energy. This also grants you credits that can be used in future months to offset electricity bills. Now, let’s move forward and learn about a 5kw solar system without battery. Also, see How Long Do Solar Generators Last?

Where Can 5kW Solar System Without Battery be Used?

In India, a 5kW solar system without battery is appropriate for locations where the electricity bill comes to around 5,000 to 10,000 per month in summer seasons. While you are choosing such a solar system, you need to be aware of the voltage condition in your area during the summer months. This is because a 5kW solar system without a battery is an on-grid solar system and such a system can’t run below 190V.

Pros and Cons of Using a Solar Panel Directly Without a Battery

After learning about a 5kw solar system without battery, let’s learn the pros and cons of using a solar panel directly without a battery. Although it’s totally possible to power a load without a battery, there are still various pros as well as cons attached to this practice.

Pros

• Using a solar panel without a battery saves you from spending money on batteries.
• Using this method, solar panels with the right inverters are also capable of powering a few small and medium loads during blackouts.

Cons

• If you use solar panels without a battery it’s not possible to power a load during the night.
• On cloudy days with reduced sunlight, there will be no backup power to use.
• Only when the voltage remains relatively stable does the DC-to-DC converter provides power output.
• Without a stable voltage from the battery, the risk of comprising the load still remains.
• It will not be possible to power a load that demands more power than what the panels are generating.

In this article, you have efficiently learned how to use solar panel directly without battery. You now know that it’s perfectly okay to use solar panels without battery storage. However, to ensure that you are still getting the required power during hours your solar panels aren’t working, you need to be connected to a grid.

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