Understand Solar Battery Storage Before Retrofitting Or Adding It

If you’re considering adding or retrofitting Solar battery storage to your solar panel system you need to read this first. If you want to learn more about Solar Panels & Battery systems we have a great page here.

The Feed In Tariff Scheme (FITS) had been a massive success until its demise in 2018, the possibility of adding a battery storage system VAT free to your Solar Panel System that was installed under the FITS is covered here.

Update February 2024, adding batteries to your Solar PV system is now VAT Free save 20%

So, you already have Solar Panels normally 16 x 250w modules, An inverter that turns DC electric supplied from the panels into AC electric which can be used in the home and is counted by your FITS meter which is reported to the chosen tariff provider who pays to your bank the amounts as agreed.

So, how does it work with adding battery storage to your Solar?

It can be done in two ways;

1, Add another AC inverter to convert to DC battery storage and when needed the DC current is converted back to AC current and fed back through the FITS meter. All you have done is stored the energy for use later when needed, evenings and night time.

2, Change out the old inverter and switch to a new Hybrid inverter, this time the current is saved directly to a DC battery storage system and then converted back to AC to use later or during the day when its needed and the Solar Panels are not producing enough power. Also, we can set the battery to be full at “time pm” each day, the battery is sized to your needs but generally between 2-15kw. Again the energy stored will be metered by the FITs meter.

What you cannot do under the FITs scheme

Change the Solar Panels on the roof, add to the solar panels through the FITs meter, upgrade or modify the Solar panels. You can add another Solar PV System with battery storage added to that system and the older system via an AC Inverter system outlined above.

Feed In Tariff scheme, the Export is deemed as 50% and not metered unless over 30kw.

Many FITs claimants’ export tariff payments are ‘deemed’. ‘Deemed’ export tariff payments cover 50% of your generated electricity, regardless of how much electricity you export to the grid. So, if you’re using more than 50% of your generated electricity this will not affect your payments.

Find out more here