Do Solar Panels Work at Night?

One of the most common misconceptions about solar power is that you’re only reaping the benefits on bright, sunny days. While these are the ideal conditions for maximum solar energy production, solar panels can definitely continue to power your home at night with the use of a battery system. However, some solar users choose to rely on the grid after dark. This blog post will walk you through our energy storage options and explain how a grid-tied solar system works, so solar can keep your home up and running all night.

Do Solar Panels Produce Energy at Night?

Long story short: no. Solar panels do not actively produce electricity overnight because they need sunlight to generate electricity. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use solar energy to power your home after dark. As a grid-tied homeowner with a purchased solar system, you have a couple of options. You can use electricity from your utility company (the grid) and still take advantage of low or no electricity bills through net metering, or you can purchase a home battery.

Using Electricity From Energy Storage Batteries At Night

Alongside your solar panels, you can purchase an energy storage (battery) system. These are devices that store energy for you to use at a later time. For example, on a sunny summer day, your solar panels are going to produce a lot of electricity because of increased exposure to sunlight. During clear, sunny conditions like these, your panels are most likely going to overproduce energy, meaning they’re making more energy than your home is using. This is when an energy storage device comes into play. You can store all this leftover energy in the battery and use it when your panels aren’t actively generating energy, such as at nighttime or when the power goes out. You can also store your solar energy in the winter, but you’ll have less to store than during the summer.

Energy storage is beneficial for a few reasons. You can continue to power your home, even when sunlight conditions aren’t ideal for panels. Energy storage is also a great practice in energy independence, or the ability to produce energy without relying on the electric grid. When used constantly, the grid is expensive, harmful to the environment, and occasionally unreliable. Lastly, batteries even work to power your home during outages, when the grid is unavailable. While some solar users may rely on the grid at night, you’ll save more money in the long-term by investing in a battery storage system.

Solaris Renewables offers the SolarEdge Home Battery and Tesla Powerwall for storage options. Keep reading to find out how Solaris can help you get started with energy storage, so you can make the most of your solar panels, even after the sun goes down.

How Do Energy Storage Systems Work Overnight?

Most solar batteries (including all of our options) are lithium-ion. Lithium-ion batteries are used for energy storage purposes because they create free electrons. This accumulation of free electrons is what allows us to store energy within the battery.

To use your solar battery after dark, you’ll have to make sure that it’s charged. Depending on the size and capacity of your system, you should charge your battery for about 5-8 hours to keep select outlets up and running through the night – depending on the size of your home and how much electricity you wish to use. Some battery systems (such as the SolarEdge Home Battery and Tesla Powerwall) even come with apps, which you can set up to automatically charge your battery at certain times.

Using Electricity From The Grid At Night

Since solar panels don’t produce energy at night, some solar users choose to use power from their electric grid after dark. All of our customers – and most solar users in general – are grid-tied. This means that your home or business will still be connected to the grid, and that you can still get electricity from it when your solar system isn’t actively producing power.

If your solar system is sized appropriately, you should have accrued enough credits to net meter your electric bill away. Depending on the time of year, the number of credits you amass will vary. For example, solar panels tend to overproduce energy during the summer because of an increased exposure to sunlight. The days are longer, the sunlight more direct, and the skies generally clearer. Your panels will likely generate more energy than you’re using. Through net metering, you can “sell” this leftover energy back to the grid and earn credits for future use. Most of our solar customers have enough net metering credits to entirely eliminate their bill throughout the year. By the time winter arrives, you should have accrued enough credits to supplement the darker months. Many solar owners net meter their nighttime grid bills away. You can still enjoy the benefits of solar, even if you rely on the grid at night.

Reap the Benefits of Solar Even At Night

If you don’t already use an energy storage system, consider making the purchase. Solar panels alone are a quality investment, but you can get even more out of them by pairing them with a battery storage system. Another option is to use power from your utility company at night. While the grid can be costly, solar users who are enrolled in net metering can decrease or eliminate their nighttime costs. The benefits of solar don’t end once the sun sets!

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