Adding battery storage to an existing Feed-in Tariff (FIT) site
We often get asked if you can add battery storage to an existing solar system that is currently registered for the Feed-in Tariff or FIT scheme. The quick answer is YES.
However like most things in life there are some caveats. In the case of a FIT installation the battery storage needs to be installed in a particular way to avoid breaking the rules of the FIT scheme. The best way to install the battery is behind a bi-directional meter that can measure net export or generation. There are ways of installing the battery but they will often limit the effectiveness of the battery. If you are interested in the technicalities of co-locating battery storage to existing FIT installations you can check out this link Storage Guidance (ofgem.gov.uk)
As mentioned in other posts a battery usually has a dramatic effect on the consumption of energy generated from a solar system. A typical household will consume about 20% of the solar power generated by a system. That is because the solar obviously generates power during the daylight hours and peak generation is usually around midday (obviously depending on weather). Peak demand on the other hand is usually early to late evening and early in the morning. So the best way to boost self consumption is to use a battery which then charges using the excess solar during the day and releases that stored energy in the evening and overnight.
With a FIT scheme you are paid for the energy you produce regardless of how much you use yourself. With a typical solar installation you will only consume about 20% of the energy produced. This means the rest of the time you are importing energy from the grid at full price. However adding a battery will usually increase self consumption to about 80%. This means you are importing a lot less expensive energy from the grid. For a new solar system this makes the addition of a battery a no brainer.
With a FIT scheme you are paid for the energy you produce regardless of how much you use yourself. With a typical solar installation you will only consume about 20% of the energy produced. This means the rest of the time you are importing energy from the grid at full price. However adding a battery will usually increase self consumption to about 80%. This means you are importing a lot less expensive energy from the grid. For a new solar system this makes the addition of a battery a no brainer.
However for a FIT installation its even better. You effectively get to use more of the energy that you are being paid for. The return on investment for this kind of installation is even quicker than the normal solar installation. Also even if you are coming to the end of the FIT scheme (20 years usually) you can still keep the battery for future use.
Make it stand out
If installed correctly you can also use the battery for time-shifting energy and charge using grid power at off-peak times (usually at night) and then utilise during the day. This is especially important during the winter months when generation during the day is often low.
If installed correctly you can also use the battery for time-shifting energy and charge using grid power at off-peak times (usually at night) and then utilise during the day. This is especially important during the winter months when generation during the day is often low.
In addition now you can install batteries that can be used to protect your supply. During a power cut most solar systems shut down and so even if the sun is shining you still lose power to your home. There are some battery storage systems that will now allow you to keep your solar system running and also allow the battery to discharge to the home to keep the lights on during a power cut.
So if you have an existing FIT solar installation then please get in touch. We can help design the compliant system. We can also combine this with the unique Tewdric EMOS to get the most out of the combined solution throughout the year. You will get access to more solar information so you can start to monitor generation and consumption data on an app on your smart phone.