Home Solar Batteries
Batteries store your excess solar energy for use at night or during grid outages. They're the most exciting — and most debated — addition to home solar systems.
How Home Batteries Work
During the day, your panels charge the battery with excess production. In the evening, the battery discharges to power your home instead of drawing from the grid. If the battery is full, excess still flows to the grid via net metering.
Current Pricing (2026)
| Battery | Capacity | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall 3 | 13.5 kWh | €8,000–€11,000 |
| BYD HVS | 5.1–12.8 kWh | €3,500–€8,000 |
| Huawei LUNA 2000 | 5–15 kWh | €3,500–€9,000 |
| Pylontech US5000 | 4.8 kWh stacks | €1,200–€1,500/unit |
Prices are falling 10–15% per year. A battery that costs €6,000 today may cost €4,000 in three years.
When Batteries Make Sense
High electricity prices + no net metering — if you can't sell excess to the grid, storing it yourself is the only way to use it.
Time-of-use tariffs — charge from solar during cheap daytime rates, use battery during expensive evening rates.
Backup power — if your area has frequent outages, a battery keeps critical loads running.
Maximizing self-consumption — using 80–90% of your solar production instead of 30–40%.
When They Don't (Yet)
Good net metering available — if the grid pays you full retail price for exports, it's essentially a free battery. No financial reason to store.
Tight budget — the money spent on a battery almost always generates better returns if spent on additional panels instead.
Low electricity consumption at night — if you use most power during the day when the sun is out.
The Math
A 10 kWh battery cycling daily saves roughly 3,650 kWh per year from grid purchases. At €0.15/kWh, that's €550/year in savings. A €6,000 battery takes ~11 years to pay off — close to its warranty period.
At €0.25/kWh or higher (common in Germany, the UK, and parts of the US), payback drops to ~7 years, making it much more attractive.
Our Recommendation
For most homeowners in 2026: install solar now, plan for a battery later. Choose a hybrid inverter so you're battery-ready, but wait 2–3 years for prices to drop further.
Get your solar system sized correctly first using our calculator.