Adding a battery to existing battery storage

Some customers live with their battery system for a year or two, then, using the monitoring provided come to the conclusion that it would make sense to increase their existing storage capacity by adding a battery. Depending on the brand of the battery, adding capacity can either be very straightforward or very difficult, including requiring permission from the DNO to do so.

Existing Battery Set Up

If the battery system that you have has a physically separate charge controller (which can also be a PV hybrid inverter), then adding batteries is simply a case of connecting the new battery to the existing one. Examples of these systems would be the Solar Edge range, SolaX Triple power range or GivEnergy 2.6kWh to 9.5kWh range.

If the battery has an integral AC charge controller, then permission from the District Network Operator (DNO) would be required before any additional capacity could be added. Examples of these systems are the Tesla Powerwall 2 and GivEnergy All in One. This is because, as well as increasing the storage capacity of the battery, you would also be increasing the rate at which the battery charges and discharges. As this can have an impact on the local electricity network, permission for a grid connection agreement would need to be applied for.

It is important to take this into consideration when purchasing your initial battery storage system.

If you are thinking about adding a battery, we can put together a pre-survey quote based on your current set up when you get in touch.