One of the challenges of solar power is that the Sun is not always available to provide energy, as is the case at night or during one of Seattle’s frequently overcast days. Yet the demands for electric energy must be met around the clock to maintain the proper functioning of your business.
This hurdle has been crossed through the development of grid-tied solar power systems for homes and businesses. The idea is that a building’s PV (photovoltaic) panels receive solar energy when it’s available, convert it to electrical energy, and immediately output it to the power grid for distribution elsewhere. In an optimized solar power system, the energy received while the Sun is shining is much higher than the demands of the facility. Your business is still powered by the grid, where energy is available on-demand, and your electric bill accounts for the energy your system supplies to the grid. Grid-tied solar systems are ideal for “evening out” the imbalance of intermittently available solar energy with the reliable access that your business depends on.
The drawback to this type of solar power system is that you are still dependent on the power grid, which could go down at any time for any number of reasons. Being able to continue business even during a power outage could offer you an advantage that your competitors may not have, and can be accomplished by adding a backup storage battery to your building’s solar system. Through a process known as AC coupling, your system can be made to divert energy to a backup battery rather than the power grid. The grid may still accept energy from your system even when it can’t provide it, so it’s important to keep useful energy from leaving your facility in the case of a power outage.
The solar energy experts at Seattle’s Atlas Power Corp. have the knowledge and skills to make your business’s system run reliably even when there’s a blackout. Backup storage batteries are just one component of a functional solar power system; our trained professionals can help you figure out the best solution and the best equipment for your specific business needs. Contact us today for a free project bid, and let us help your business become modern and sustainable.
