Solar panels are an excellent step toward renewable energy and lower electricity bills. But if you want true energy independence – the ability to power your home or business on your own terms, day and night – solar panels alone won’t get you there. The missing link is battery storage.
In this guide, we’ll explain why solar battery storage in the UK is essential for maximising your investment, how solar batteries work, and how they integrate with EV charging to create a truly self-sufficient energy system.
Why Solar Alone Isn’t Enough
The UK receives between 750–1,100 kilowatt-hours per square metre of solar energy annually, which means solar panels can generate significant electricity – but only during daylight hours. The problem is that most households and businesses use the majority of their electricity in the evening when solar generation has stopped.
Without battery storage, any electricity your solar panels generate that you don’t use immediately is either exported to the grid, or wasted. While you can earn money through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which allows solar panel owners to sell excess energy back to the grid at rates up to 30.31p per kWh, this is typically far less than what you’d pay to buy electricity back from the grid during peak times.
This creates a cycle of dependency: you generate clean energy during the day, export it for a modest return, and then buy expensive grid electricity in the evening. Battery storage breaks this cycle by storing your surplus solar energy for use whenever you need it.
How Solar Batteries Work
Solar batteries are surprisingly straightforward. During the day, your solar panels generate electricity in the form of direct current (DC). Any electricity you don’t use immediately is stored in your battery rather than being exported to the grid. Modern lithium-ion batteries typically offer 90–95% efficiency, meaning very little energy is lost in the storage process.
When the sun goes down and your solar panels stop generating, your battery automatically supplies power to your home or business. If your battery runs low, the system seamlessly switches to drawing electricity from the grid. Some systems can also be programmed to charge from the grid during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper, further reducing your energy costs.
Smart battery systems include monitoring software that shows you how much energy you’re generating, storing, and using in real time. This gives you complete visibility and control over your energy consumption.
What Happens to Unused Solar Energy Without Storage?
This is one of the most common questions about solar panels, and the answer depends on whether you have a battery.
Without battery storage, any electricity your solar panels generate that you don’t use immediately is automatically exported to the grid. Based on a 4kWp system generating 3,410kWh annually and an electricity price of 24.5p/kWh, with export rates around 15p/kWh, you’re effectively giving away energy for less than two-thirds of what you’d pay to buy it back.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You’re still offsetting your daytime electricity use and earning some income from exports, but it means you’re not maximising the value of your solar investment.
Battery storage changes the equation entirely. Instead of exporting low-value electricity during the day and buying high-cost electricity in the evening, you use your own stored solar power whenever you need it.
The result is greater energy independence, lower bills, and a significantly better return on investment for your solar system.
The Role of Battery Storage in EV Charging
One of the most compelling reasons to combine solar panels with battery storage is the synergy with electric vehicle charging. If you own an EV, you’re already familiar with the challenge of managing charging costs – public rapid chargers can be expensive, and even home charging adds to your electricity bill.
Battery storage allows you to charge your EV using solar energy you’ve generated and stored yourself. Charge your battery during the day while you’re at work, then plug in your EV when you get home in the evening. This delivers some of the lowest per-mile costs available for electric vehicle ownership, often far cheaper than both petrol and public EV charging.
For businesses with fleet vehicles, this combination is even more valuable. You can install workplace EV chargers powered by solar and battery storage, dramatically reducing charging costs while supporting your sustainability goals. Learn more about our EV charger installations and how businesses are investing in EV charging infrastructure.
Solar Batteries and the Path to Energy Independence
Energy independence isn’t just about saving money – it’s about resilience, sustainability and control. Solar batteries provide backup power during grid outages, ensuring that your key appliances and systems remain live even in a power cut.
For homeowners, this means security and peace of mind. Your lights, heating, refrigerator and essential devices keep running even when the grid goes down. For businesses, it means avoiding costly disruptions and maintaining operations during outages.
From a sustainability perspective, battery storage maximises the environmental benefits of your solar panels. Instead of relying on grid electricity – which may still include fossil fuel generation – you’re using clean, renewable energy you’ve captured and stored yourself. This significantly reduces your carbon footprint and helps you meet net zero commitments.
As of 2024, home batteries benefit from 0% VAT if installed with or added to solar PV, under the UK government’s energy efficiency scheme, which can save up to several hundred pounds. This makes battery storage more accessible and affordable than ever before.
Ready to Take Control of Your Energy?
Solar panels are a great start, but adding battery storage transforms your system from a partial solution to true energy independence. Whether you’re looking to cut costs, reduce your carbon footprint, charge your EV sustainably, or simply gain more control over your energy supply, battery storage is the missing piece of the puzzle.
At MD Govier, we’ve been delivering electrical solutions for over 30 years, and we understand how solar and battery systems work together to deliver maximum value. From initial consultation and design through to installation and ongoing support, we’ll help you create a system that meets your needs and future-proofs your property.
Get a free quote today, or call us on 01908 109444 to discuss how solar battery storage can work for you.