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Overview:
Many homeowners who are looking for Solar PV systems can look at the possibility of adding a Battery Backup to maximize the earnings of their electric production. When battery storage is not installed, the power they don’t use gets sold back to the electric company and reducing their utility bills. However, some homeowners utilize solar battery backups to collect and store the energy the system creates for later use.
What is a Battery Backup?
A Battery Backup stores the excess energy produced by the Solar PV System for later use. This way, when the sun goes down, homeowners can still use clean solar power instead of having to pull from the electricity grid.
The Battery Backup is connected to an Envoy/Hub, which is the communications and control center behind the energy system. This small device is the networking and command hub of the solar system, and it's responsible for monitoring the system's performance by collecting real-time data from the microinverters.
The Battery Backup, in combination with the Envoy/Hub, is assembled to create an Energy Storage System (ESS).
In the next slides, we will take an in-depth look at the information that needs to be collected on-site when a project would have a Battery Backup.
Identifying Battery Backups
Identifying Battery Backups
For our needs, since the ESS is yet to be installed, it will be your responsibility to collect at least 2 locations for possible Battery Backup installations when a project requires one.
At this point, you may be asking, how do I know when a Site Survey requires me to collect proposed locations? Easy! The answer is and always will be in your Calendar Invite as shown in the first photo of the carousel below.
Under the Other Information section, you will find all the add-ons that are required for the Site Survey. The example above asks you to complete a regular Site Survey (Drone flight, Electrical, and Attic) in addition to all of this, to also collect at least 2 proposed locations for a Battery.
These notes are automatically added to your SiteCapture job, however, we always recommend checking the Calendar Invite notes for the most up-to-date version as these can change on the same day of the survey.
Locations Priority Checklist
Locations Priority Checklist
Priority 1
Priority 1
Homeowner Preference
Measure the wall and obstructions of the location preferred by the HO, unless that location falls in a red flag location.
Priority 2
Priority 2
Same Wall as MSP
Measure the wall and obstructions of the wall on which the MSP is found. If the wall is south-facing and not shaded, best practice would be to collect a third location if it is the best location otherwise.
Priority 3
Priority 3
Wall Adjacent or closest to MSP
Measure the wall and obstructions adjacent (ex: opposite side of the wall exterior to interior) or the wall closest to the MSP so long as it is not in an interior habitable room (listed in red flags section below).
Priority 4
Priority 4
Garage Wall
Measure a wall and obstructions on the interior of the garage, closest to the MSP if possible. The garage measurements will also require a return wall measurement.
Important Notes and Recommendations
Important Notes and Recommendations
Some homeowners can be firm in their preferred locations. While you should never give any advice or recommendations to the homeowners for their solar panel locations and battery backup placement, if, for some reason, the homeowner is firm about his preferred location being either Priorities 4 and 5, you can read to them the following list given our Electrical Engineering Department:
Exterior walls are preferred for ease/cost of installation, and mitigating issues at permitting.
Habitable spaces (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms) are not allowed for battery installation.
Batteries should be installed at least 3 feet away from doors and windows.
If the homeowners are still firm in their decision after this, do not provide more advice and proceed to collect their preferred location along with a backup.
On-Site Action Items
On-Site Action Items
Before you begin or arrive at the site, keep in mind:
Remember you will need to collect contextual photos of each space including 360° of the space or room.
You will also need to measure and photograph the wall(s) proposed by the HO or selected in order of priority which will be marked on the map.
Make sure to take and upload photos showing the measuring tape to confirm the measurements in your notes.
Note: In your Roof Map Sketch, B1 stands for the homeowner’s preferred location, and B2 stands for the backup place (which is normally the garage).
Once you're on-site and have defined the two locations you will be collecting, you will have to:
In SiteCapture, under the Battery Backup section, indicate the proposed location 1 as shown on the left side.
Then:
Collect some pullback photos showing the entire location in one frame (if possible). If not, a pattern on 2-4 photos should suffice.
Collect Contextual and/or 360° photos of proposed location 1.
Photos of the exact proposed location.
The entire width + height of the wall must be measured and the distance between any and all obstructions (vents, windows, and other possible wall-bound equipment). If windows are present and appear to be higher than five feet, please measure from the bottom of the window to the ground.
Width 1
Width 1
Width 2
Width 2
Height 1
Height 1
Height 2
Height 2
Wall Measurement Diagram
Wall Measurement Diagram
Drawn representation showing the measurements of the proposed location (width and height), along with the distance between any and all obstructions.
Written Measurements
Written Measurements
In SiteCapture, make sure to write down your measurements in addition to the photos for the engineering teams visualization and confirmation.
Locations in Roof Map Sketch
Locations in Roof Map Sketch
Once you have finished, you will be required to mark the battery backup locations in your Roof Map Sketch. In the example below, the lemon green dot highlighted as B1 is the preferred location for the homeowner.
Repeat the process for the proposed location 2.
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