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  4. Will my household battery give me back up power?
Why is the Cheaper Home Batteries program a game changer for our energy system? How much can I save? How much battery storage should I get? Can I add my battery to an existing solar system? Will my household battery give me back up power? Are household batteries safe? How can I avoid phony installers? What is a VPP and should I join one?

Will my household battery give me back up power?

Batteries can serve multiple functions - storage (we love that); ‘firming’ to continue your independent energy supply when a cloud floats over your solar panels; blackout protection for when there’s a short term interruption to your grid supply and full off grid capability allowing your solar to keep generating and your battery to keep storing for however long it takes for grid power (if you connect to the grid) to come back on.

Answer

If the battery you are interested in states it can give you ’uninterruptible power supply’ (UPS); ’back-up power’ or ‘blackout protection’, it may not actually give you full off grid capability - so check with your installer. These batteries may not keep your inverter working so your solar won’t be able to refill the battery once you have drained it. 

If you want full off grid capability, then look out for options such as ‘standalone’, ‘islandable’, or ‘offgrid capable’ batteries and check you will be getting all the equipment to make sure your installation will be able to function off grid. Always check with your installer. As Finn Peacock from Solar Quotes wisely advises, if they tell you your system will be off grid capable be sure to “get it in writing”. 

With the right choice of inverter and /or gateway, household storage systems made by Sungrow, Sigenenergy and BYD can all be set up to function fully off grid. Tesla Powerwall 3 batteries are designed to be grid connected and can no longer be installed in off grid systems.