what solution is right for me?
Solar panels and Inverter only
The main advantage with this solution is to keep the installation costs down as well as a useful exercise in enjoying savings on energy bills.
Battery only option
This option is becoming increasingly popular, given the rise of 'smart tariffs' such as that offered by Octopus energy.
With a battery only system, you can take advantage of low energy prices by charging your batteries from the grid at off peak rates. Then use the power from the battery to assist in powering your home during peak times resulting in lower consumption of peak power direct from the grid.
Another useful advantage is enjoyed if you move home. It is a lot easier and cheaper to take the batteries and inverter with you than it is to uninstall the solar panels.
Hybrid system (Solar Panels and Batteries)
This is the most popular solution among home owners, and for good reason.
Solar is a great method of producing 'free' energy from the sun. However, there will be occasions when your home is not using all the power generated by panels. In this instance, the power then goes back to the grid. Yes, your energy provider will pay you for this energy the panels producing, but at a much lower rate. Usually about 4-5p per kWh at the current time.
With a battery system, you can use excess energy to charge your batteries for later use when the sun goes down, thus ensuring no 'waste' energy transferring to the grid. You can use more of what the solar panels are producing for your own needs, which is a far better outcome for the homeowner, given that you are then using even less energy from the grid.
For example, if your energy provider is charging you 28p per kWh and you are sending energy back to the grid at 5p per kWh, this is net a difference of 23p per kWh.
With a solar-only system, if you produced, say, 10 kW of excess energy that was sent to the grid in one day, you would get 50p off your bill. If, however, you used that energy from battery storage in your home, you would save £2.80 off your bill through drawing this from your battery instead of from the grid. Ok, so you would lose the 5p per kWh from the grid payment, but this is still a net benefit of £2.30 overall.
These savings could be significant over the course of a year.
It is therefore makes greater financial sense for homeowners to pocket to use their own stored energy, than to use electricity from the grid.