{"id":4909,"date":"2015-07-24T14:42:24","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T05:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=4909"},"modified":"2023-01-31T11:24:29","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T00:54:29","slug":"does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/","title":{"rendered":"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that adding batteries to your solar does not automatically mean it is blackout proof?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it’s almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years before it really arrives and most Australians can get their hands on low cost energy storage systems such as the Tesla Powerwall, but they are coming and they will eventually be here. Adding batteries to your home solar (AKA a hybrid solar system<\/a>) means that you will no longer be forced to sell electricity for 6-8c and buy it back, at night for 30c. Hurrah!<\/p>\n

But when the holy grail does arrive you will have a choice, so take care that you do not choose poorly.<\/p>\n

While a bad choice is unlikely to cause you to crumble into dust like the Nazi villain at the end of the second worst Indiana Jones movie*, if you what you decide is\u00a0wrong for your particular circumstances you may live to regret it. Actually, I can almost guarantee that you will live to regret it, as it is really not a life and death decision. Unless you go about it in an astoundingly bad way, such as cutting power cables with an axe and then licking them to see if they are live, I can pretty much guarantee you\u00a0will still\u00a0be around to either rue or feel chuffed about your choice.<\/p>\n

The decision to which I am referring is this: when you get your home energy storage system, are you going to choose to save money by using a common-or-garden anti-islanding inverter<\/a> that only works when the grid is working (so won’t give you a single erg of energy to use during a blackout even if\u00a0your batteries are\u00a0charged)? Or are you going to pay extra for a specialist islanding inverter? These more expensive inverters will give you the ability to draw upon your battery power when the grid is down and laugh at the sound of your neighbours swearing as they bang their shins in the dark.<\/p>\n

Anti-Islanding<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you are lucky enough\u00a0to own a grid-connected rooftop solar system, then there is an excellent chance you’re already aware that if the grid goes\u00a0down you can’t get electricity from your solar panels . If you are not aware of this, then I’m sorry to have to break the bad news to you. Them solar panels, they ain’t gonna work in a blackout.<\/p>\n

\"electrified<\/a>

The crispy meat resistor dance.<\/p><\/div>\n

The reason we are usually given for why solar inverters need to prevent islands forming is safety.<\/p>\n

A line worker could come along and touch a cable they think is dead and go, \u201cGHHHARRRRRRHHHHHHH!!!\u201d as they do the crispy meat resistor dance.<\/p>\n

And this is not a good thing. It never results in super powers. Some electrical accidents have resulted in people becoming bionic, but it’s not worth it. It appears that Steve Austin<\/a>\u00a0lied to us.<\/p>\n

So anti-islanding inverters can potentially\u00a0save lives. \u00a0And there are other reasons why it is useful, so anti-islanding is going to stay\u00a0compulsory. No exceptions, not even if you bake the grid operators a chocolate koala.<\/p>\n

Islanding Inverters<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you want to be able to use electricity from your batteries and\/or solar panels during a grid outage, you are going to need an islanding inverter, which is a completely different kettle of fish. Or preferably electronic components. If it’s full of fish you should probably ask for your money back.<\/p>\n

An islanding inverter, or off-grid inverter, will isolate the house and send no electricity into the grid during a power failure. It will\u00a0let the house run off battery storage and\/or solar panels. A generator can also be made part of the system. When done right, it can allow a household to completely ignore a power failure. Unfortunately getting a house ‘blackout proof’ like this costs a lot of money. Even a system that is just made to run lights, laptops, and refrigeration will\u00a0cost a lot more than a simple anti-islanding inverter set up.<\/p>\n

And if you are not keen on installing a dirty diesel a generator but still want self sufficiency when the grid goes down then things really start to get expensive. To\u00a0completely ignore power failures an energy storage system will always need to have enough energy to get through the night. There must\u00a0be enough solar on the roof to charge the batteries during the day even if it is overcast, and the batteries need\u00a0to put out enough power to run household appliances normally. This can quickly add up to tens of thousands of dollars,\u00a0 a huge amount of money to pay just to waltz through power failures. Sure, it becomes a lot cheaper if you include a generator, but if you have a generator why do you need an islanding inverter? Having to plug your appliances into a generator when the grid is down is less convenient, but foregoing a vacation to afford an islanding inverter isn’t exactly convenient either.<\/p>\n

The Middle Way<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

There is a third choice for inverters that lies between anti-islanding and islanding. I presume this would make it an archipelagoing inverter. This is one that, when enough solar electricity is being produced, lets you plug appliances into a power point on the inverter and use it like a silent, non-polluting generator. However, the model I saw with this feature cost so much it was up in the islanding inverter price range. But they may not always carry such a hefty premium and so are an option that could be considered. They will of course utterly fail to produce electricity at night unless your neighbour has excessively bright outside lights.<\/p>\n

Dollars And Cents. Or Probably Just Dollars.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

The USB investment bank thinks $1,025 is\u00a0sufficient<\/a> to pay for an anti-islanding inverter that is compatible with the 7 kilowatt-hour Tesla Powerwall\u00a0(or perhaps you can\u00a0use your existing solar inverter for free<\/a>\u00a0).\u00a0And an Australian expert says that, as a wild ass guess, a suitable islanding inverter might cost $4,000<\/a>. While I have no idea what feral donkeys have to do with his estimate, that sounds about right to me. Of course, it is possible to go cheaper than this. For example, last night in one of the dark, clammy, recesses of the internet; I discovered I could mail order an off-grid inverter for under $1,000. I assume it was made\u00a0in international waters, as no country of manufacture was given. The company name looked like the output of\u00a0a random password generator. And its warranty was for a single year. Sometimes choosing\u00a0the cheapest product makes\u00a0economic sense. This is\u00a0not one of those times. I recommend it about as highly as I do licking a male platypus’s venom spur.<\/p>\n

I am confident that islanding inverters will come down in price. This includes ones that are compatible with the Powerwall, as Tesla’s strategy is not to make money by charging licensing fees, but to make its patents available for free and allow competition bring down inverter costs and so enable Tesla to sell more energy storage. By the time Powerwalls or similar products are available in Australia, without significant delay I hope that suitable islanding inverters will be available for $2,500 or less. But hope is not a game plan. It is instead an emotional state characterised by optimism about\u00a0either current or future events.<\/p>\n

My Recommendation<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grid electricity works in Australia 99.9% of the time. That’s an average of about one day of power failure every three years. So I suggest that, unless islanding inverters really come down in price, the average Australian installing on-grid energy storage will\u00a0better off with a lower cost anti-islanding inverter than paying extra for an islanding inverter and the ability to use energy storage independently of what’s going on with the grid. It may seem weird, or even just plain stupid, that during a blackout energy you can’t use storage sitting in your own home, and some old-school off-grid solar installers seem to think it is heresy. But it does save money and it should make better financial sense for most people to simply buy a small generator.<\/p>\n

And if you don’t own a generator, that’s a good indicator that you don’t find power failures annoying enough to make the cost of an islanding inverter worthwhile. I would say that it is like Catch-22 because if an islanding inverter is worth it you’ll already have a generator and so won’t need an islanding inverter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

* If you do crumble into dust, I accept no responsibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that adding batteries to your solar does not automatically mean it is blackout proof? The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it’s almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years before it really arrives and most Australians can get their hands on low cost energy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[551],"tags":[112,30,172,552],"class_list":["post-4909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-battery-storage","tag-buyers-guide","tag-feed-in-tariffs","tag-hybrid-solar","tag-tesla","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoes your hybrid solar system really need backup? - SolarQuotes Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it's almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years off.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it's almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years off.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-24T05:12:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-31T00:54:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ronald Brakels\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BrakelsRonald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ronald Brakels\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7\"},\"headline\":\"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup?\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-24T05:12:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-31T00:54:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/\"},\"wordCount\":1472,\"commentCount\":22,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"buyers guide\",\"Feed In Tariffs\",\"hybrid solar\",\"tesla\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Battery Storage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/\",\"name\":\"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup? - SolarQuotes Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-24T05:12:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-31T00:54:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it's almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years off.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Battery Storage\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/\",\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7\",\"name\":\"Ronald Brakels\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Ronald Brakels\"},\"description\":\"Joining SolarQuotes in 2015, Ronald has a knack for reading those tediously long documents put out by solar manufacturers and translating their contents into something consumers might find interesting. Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrakelsRonald\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/ronald\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup? - SolarQuotes Blog","description":"The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it's almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years off.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup?","og_description":"The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it's almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years off.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2015-07-24T05:12:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-31T00:54:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Ronald Brakels","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BrakelsRonald","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/"},"author":{"name":"Ronald Brakels","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7"},"headline":"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup?","datePublished":"2015-07-24T05:12:24+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-31T00:54:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/"},"wordCount":1472,"commentCount":22,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg","keywords":["buyers guide","Feed In Tariffs","hybrid solar","tesla"],"articleSection":["Battery Storage"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/","name":"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup? - SolarQuotes Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg","datePublished":"2015-07-24T05:12:24+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-31T00:54:29+00:00","description":"The holy grail of affordable on-grid energy storage has finally arrived! Well, it's almost arrived. Actually, it might be a couple of years off.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Fotolia_40522621_XS.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/does-your-hybrid-solar-system-really-need-to-be-blackout-proof\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Battery Storage","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Does your hybrid solar system really need backup?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7","name":"Ronald Brakels","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Ronald Brakels"},"description":"Joining SolarQuotes in 2015, Ronald has a knack for reading those tediously long documents put out by solar manufacturers and translating their contents into something consumers might find interesting. Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/BrakelsRonald"],"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/ronald\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-1hb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50194,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/best-home-batteries-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":4909,"position":0},"title":"Best Home Batteries In 2021? The Brands Top Solar Installers Trust","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"May 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"If one renewable energy technology for your home deserves particularly careful due diligence, it's the home battery system. A solar battery is an incredibly dense box of energy. If something goes wrong, the consequences could be dire. Home battery systems are a relatively immature market with a\u00a0bunch of entrants jumping\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/installers-choice-batt.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/installers-choice-batt.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/installers-choice-batt.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/installers-choice-batt.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/installers-choice-batt.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71978,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/best-home-batteries-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":4909,"position":1},"title":"The Best Home Batteries In Australia In 2023: According To Installers","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"March 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year we ask installers in the SolarQuotes network which batteries they would trust in their own family homes. We ask two questions to tease out the best batteries in Australia for both big-spenders and the budget conscious. Which brand would you install on your own home if money was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Best home solar batteries in 2023","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/best-batteries-2023-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/best-batteries-2023-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/best-batteries-2023-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/best-batteries-2023-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/best-batteries-2023-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4677,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/tesla-to-shake-up-solar-battery-storage\/","url_meta":{"origin":4909,"position":2},"title":"Tesla to shake up solar battery storage","author":"Staff Writer","date":"April 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar energy\u2019s Great Leap Forward in efficiency and viability is about to be joined by its natural twin, solar battery storage. This scenario, which was hinted at by electric car manufacturer Tesla during the week, will reverberate around the energy community and send shudders down the collective spines of fossil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"tesla battery","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com\/736x\/74\/83\/2b\/74832be5006293c91f82779ef70d61fd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com\/736x\/74\/83\/2b\/74832be5006293c91f82779ef70d61fd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com\/736x\/74\/83\/2b\/74832be5006293c91f82779ef70d61fd.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com\/736x\/74\/83\/2b\/74832be5006293c91f82779ef70d61fd.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83301,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/modular-batteries\/","url_meta":{"origin":4909,"position":3},"title":"Modular Home Batteries Explained: All The Benefits & Key Considerations","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"May 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tesla Powerwall is renowned for being a shiny white slab of energy storage, but what if you\u2019re willing to sacrifice some style for modularity? Are modular home batteries a better choice? At SolarQuotes we're sometimes accused of Tesla bias, but \"Powerwall\" has become a generic term for solar batteries.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australian electrician installing a modular home battery","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/modular-battery-install.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/modular-battery-install.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/modular-battery-install.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/modular-battery-install.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/modular-battery-install.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4877,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/interview-finn-peacock-talks-solar-battery-storage-in-australia-and-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":4909,"position":4},"title":"Interview: Finn Peacock talks solar battery storage in Australia (and more)","author":"Staff Writer","date":"July 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s been a big year for news on solar battery storage in Australia. With the imminent release of Tesla\u2019s Powerwall onto the market and influential reports predicting a new way of accessing energy, the trend has not been \u201cif\u201d but \u201cwhen\u201d renewables will end up dominating new energy takeup in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"finn peacock","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/finn-beastie-boy.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/finn-beastie-boy.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/finn-beastie-boy.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69887,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/hybrid-systems-vpp-mb2790\/","url_meta":{"origin":4909,"position":5},"title":"Hybrid Systems Australia Secures WA Schools VPP Project Slice","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"January 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hybrid Systems Australia will be installing four fairly chunky solar and battery setups for a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) pilot project in Western Australia. Synergy and WA's McGowan Government have been working on a initiative involving solar and\/or batteries and VPP technology for a bunch of schools across the state's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WA Schools VPP Pilot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/schools-vpp-pilot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/schools-vpp-pilot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/schools-vpp-pilot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/schools-vpp-pilot.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/schools-vpp-pilot.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4909"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70499,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4909\/revisions\/70499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}