What is solar panel battery storage?

An energy-storage system, also called a home or solar battery, lets you capture electricity so you can use it at another time. For example, you can store the electricity your solar panels generate during the day and use it at night. Big tech brands including Samsung and Tesla sell home-energy storage systems. Energy companies including EDF Energy, Eon and Ovo are also currently selling solar panel and storage packages.  EDF Energy is selling Powervault solar batteries and says customers can get a discount in return for helping EDF balance the grid. It says it’s trying to create a ‘network of small-scale’ batteries to help balance the peaks and troughs of energy production and customer demand’. Eon is selling batteries alongside solar panels so that customers can store excess electricity generated, or charge their electric vehicle. It is also paying customers for excess electricity they export to the grid. Ovo is selling a home energy storage device which charges from the grid when electricity is cheaper and less carbon-intensive, and discharges it to run appliances when electricity is pricier and more carbon-intensive later. This relatively new technology may be worth considering if you generate your own energy at home but could use more of it – or plan to start doing so. Read on to find out about different energy-storage products, how much they cost, and the pros and cons of batteries. Or jump straight to our table of the latest home batteries.