If you're a Sunnova customer, we will set up your battery in one of three ways. You will be able to make changes to your battery configuration after installation.
Self-Consumption
When a battery is paired with a solar system:
- Any excess solar energy produced during the day will charge your battery.
- At night or during times of low solar production, your home will use a combination of energy stored in your battery and electricity from your utility, if needed.
A standalone battery will not be set up in self-consumption mode.
Backup Power
When a battery is paired with a solar system:
- Any excess solar energy produced during the day will charge your battery.
- At night or during times of low solar production, your home will use electricity from your utility. You will only be able to draw energy from your battery during a power outage.
When a battery is standalone and there is no solar system:
- During the day, your battery will be charged by power from the utility if needed.
- At night, your home is powered by the utility.
TOU Optimization
When a battery is paired with a solar system:
- Any excess solar energy produced during the day will charge your battery.
- During peak rate times, your home will use your solar panels and energy stored in the battery. Any excess energy will be sent to your utility to maximize net metering credits.
- At night or during times of low solar production, your home will use electricity from your utility.
When a battery is standalone and there is no solar system (Some utilities will not allow a stand-alone battery to be set up in TOU mode; please check with your local utility.):
- During the day, your battery will be charged by power from the utility if needed.
- If your utility rate is based on time-of-use (TOU), when electric grid pricing is at its peak, energy stored in the battery will be used to power your home and send any excess energy to the grid to maximize your benefit. The system will be pre-programmed with the relevant time of use (TOU) utility profile.iv
- At night, your home is powered by the utility.
Grid Charging: If you installed your battery in 2023 or later, you may be able to set your battery to be charged from the grid. For example, if you need to charge your battery before a potential power outage, but your solar system is not producing enough solar energy, you could change your battery's setting to charge your battery from the grid.
i The amount of power available from the battery during a power outage is limited, depending on the loads connected, customer usage and battery configuration (i.e., batteries in certain areas may be set up to provide you with the best economic benefit, which may affect the amount of back-up power available). Solar systems and/or batteries may require repairs after weather events and such repairs may be delayed due to forces outside of our control. No assurances can be given that the solar system or the battery will always work. You should never rely upon either of these to power life support or other medical devices. To see how long your battery will last during an outage.
ii The amount of power available from the battery during a power outage is limited, depending on the loads connected, customer usage and battery configuration (i.e., batteries in certain areas may be set up to provide you with the best economic benefit, which may affect the amount of back-up power available). Solar systems and/or batteries may require repairs after weather events and such repairs may be delayed due to forces outside of our control. No assurances can be given that the solar system or the battery will always work. You should never rely upon either of these to power life support or other medical devices. To see how long your battery will last during an outage.
iii The amount of power available from the battery during a power outage is limited, depending on the loads connected, customer usage and battery configuration (i.e., batteries in certain areas may be set up to provide you with the best economic benefit, which may affect the amount of back-up power available). Solar systems and/or batteries may require repairs after weather events and such repairs may be delayed due to forces outside of our control. No assurances can be given that the solar system or the battery will always work. You should never rely upon either of these to power life support or other medical devices. To see how long your battery will last during an outage.
iv Your battery will be configured to provide the best economic benefit to you based on the utility information provided.