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Compare prices and reviews of the best solar battery banks in 2022
Updated: October 20, 2022Our expert and consumer reviews of the leading solar panel battery banks show the best solar batteries to suit your home in 2022
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What is a solar battery?
A solar battery bank is simply a battery bank used to store excess solar electricity that is surplus to the power needs of your home at the time it is generated.
Solar batteries are important because solar panels only generate electricity when the sun is shining. However, we need to use power at night and at other times when there is little sun.
Solar batteries can turn solar into a reliable 24x7 power source. Battery energy storage is the key to allowing our society to transition to 100% renewable energy.
Energy storage systems
In most cases homeowners are no longer being offered solar batteries on their own they are being offered complete home storage systems. Leading products such as the Tesla Powerwall and the sonnen eco do contain a battery bank but they are much more than this. They also contain a battery management system, a battery inverter, a battery charger and also software based controls that allow you to control how and when these products charge and discharge power.
All of these newer all-in-one home energy storage and energy management systems use Lithium Ion battery technology and so if you have a home that is connected to the grid and are seeking a solar battery storage solution you no longer have to consider the question of battery chemistry technology. It was once the case that flooded lead acid battery technology was the most common solar battery bank for off grid homes but today there are no packaged home energy management solutions using lead acid batteries.
Why is lithium-Ion battery technology now so popular?
The core advantage of lithium ion battery technologies that have caused their almost uniform adoption in recent years is their higher energy density and the fact that they do not vent gases.
High energy density means they can store more power per cubic inch of space than the deep cycle, lead acid batteries that were traditionally used in off grid solar systems. This makes it easier to install the batteries in homes and garages with limited space. This is also the key reason they have been favoured for other applications such as electric cars, laptop batteries and phone batteries. In all of these applications physical size of the battery bank is a key issue.
Another important reason that lithium ion solar batteries are dominating is they do not vent toxic gases and so can be installed in homes. Older flooded lead acid deep cycle batteries that were traditionally used in off gird solar power systems did have the potential to vent toxic gases and so had to be installed in separate battery enclosures. In practical terms this opens up a mass market that was not there before with lead acid batteries. We feel this trend is now irreversible because all of the electronics and software to manage these home energy storage solutions is now being built to suit lithium ion battery technologies.
Are solar batteries worth it?
The answer to this question depends on four factors:
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Do you have access to 1:1 net metering where you live;
1:1 net metering means that you get a 1 for 1 credit for each kWh of excess solar energy that you export to the public grid during that day. This means that if you design a solar system to cover 100% of your electric usage you will have no electric bill. It also means you don't really need a solar battery bank because the net metering law is allowing you to use the grid as your battery bank.
The exception to this is is where there is time of use billing and electric rates in the evening are higher than they are during the day (see below).
-
How much excess solar energy do you have to store in a battery?
There is no point having a solar battery unless you have a solar system that is big enough to generate excess solar energy during the middle of the day that can be stored in the battery. This is kind of obvious but it is something you need to check.
The exception to this is where there is time of use billing and electric rates in the evening are higher than they are during the day (see below).
-
Does your electric utility charge time of use rates?
If your electric utility has time of use electric billing such that power during the evening peak time is much more expensive than it is during the middle of the day then this can make the addition of an energy storage battery to your solar system more economic. For example if electricity is 12 cents during off peak and 24 cents during peak then each kW of solar energy you store in your battery will save you 12 cents.
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Are there specific rebates for solar batteries where you live?
It is obviously much more attractive to buy a solar battery if part of the cost is going to be funded by some form of rebate or tax credit. If you are buying a battery bank to store solar energy then you can claim the 30% federal solar tax credit on it.
2.48 81 Reviews
Latest review
Aardvark Power & Light,
over 1 month
In the end, the crew from Tesla Residential Energy (“Skywalker” crew for the roof panels, and “Dooku” crew for the batteries and electrical work) did a terrific and elegant job on installation of the system, working hammer and tongs to get the job done expeditiously. 5 stars on that part. But my, the rocky one-year journey to get there! It all looked so easy during the on-line ordering process. Just a few clicks and a $100.00 deposit; easier than ordering food from an online menu. Then the trouble started: system order administratively downsized from 14 kW to 6.8, no explanation, but endless bot-driven messages to approve that revision. No way! Contacting a project advisor in customer service was nearly impossible back then (by now, dramatically improved). Turns out they won’t install on the pergola roof, because it doesn’t have four walls and is not a “permanent structure.” Much money wasted in providing a buried conduit from there back to the interconnection point on the main house. Next, they refused to install panels on the garage because the framing was weak and saggy. This was a correct call, but the roof and framing had to be removed, new stronger framing installed, along with a new roof. A 5-figure exercise. Then, Tesla Design required plans, load calculations and sealed sign off from a Professional Engineer, showing that the garage roof would bear the 3 lb per square foot load of the panels. $4,000. more. Then, a tree had to be removed from near the side of the garage where the batteries were to go. Another $200. FInally, Design agreed to the 13.2 kW design I wanted, with 4 Powerwalls totaling 54 kW of storage, and two inverters, eliminating a single point of failure. Service had to be upgraded to 200 A. from 100 A. with a brand-new load center, solar approved. Done, another 4 figures. LA Fire, and LA Building changed codes during this period, requiring further changes to the design and location of certain things. Fully 7 iterations of the design were done for various reasons prior to installation, and an additional iteration will be done post-installation because of some incorrect load calculations and a mistake in the wiring diagram, this to support the coming inspection which, we hope, will not produce additional surprises. Then the installers came, and for code and technical reasons, decided that a different panel was required, and all the circuits had to be transferred to the new panel. This was included in the contracted installation; no extra charge. But a lot of extra work for the Tesla electricians. After a long three days (typical installation takes one to two, says Tesla), the heroic installers completed their work and commissioned the system. By then, it was sunset, so it was necessary to wait until the next day to see if everything worked. It did! Because some of the panels are north-facing, which is suboptimal, the 13 kW nameplate system only produces a maximum of 9.8 kW at noon near the summer solstice, but this is enough power for long enough each day to bring the Powerwalls up to full charge each morning, run the pool pump in the morning and the air conditioning in the afternoon, and keep the Tesla Model S topped off, all without calling on power from the grid. Winter conditions will produce less power, but less needed because of no air conditioning required. It’s amazing: like running off grid from a silent whole-house generator and a propane tank that automatically fills itself each day for free. Now, it’s on to inspection and then Permission To Operate from the utility so excess capacity can be generated and sold back to Souther California Edison, rather than curtailed and wasted. Bottom line: when you click “order” from Tesla or any other vendor, be prepared for it to lead to more complexity than you thought! And likely significantly more time and money.
Read more
Average cost (5kW system)
$14,012 ($2.80 per watt)
Latest review
Aardvark Power & Light, over 1 month
In the end, the crew from Tesla Residential Energy (“Skywalker” crew for the roof panels, and “Dooku” crew for the batteries and electrical work) did a terrific and elegant job on installation of the system, working hammer and tongs to get the job done expeditiously. 5 stars on that part. But my, the rocky one-year journey to get there! It all looked so easy during the on-line ordering process. Just a few clicks and a $100.00 deposit; easier than ordering food from an online menu. Then the trouble started: system order administratively downsized from 14 kW to 6.8, no explanation, but endless bot-driven messages to approve that revision. No way! Contacting a project advisor in customer service was nearly impossible back then (by now, dramatically improved). Turns out they won’t install on the pergola roof, because it doesn’t have four walls and is not a “permanent structure.” Much money wasted in providing a buried conduit from there back to the interconnection point on the main house. Next, they refused to install panels on the garage because the framing was weak and saggy. This was a correct call, but the roof and framing had to be removed, new stronger framing installed, along with a new roof. A 5-figure exercise. Then, Tesla Design required plans, load calculations and sealed sign off from a Professional Engineer, showing that the garage roof would bear the 3 lb per square foot load of the panels. $4,000. more. Then, a tree had to be removed from near the side of the garage where the batteries were to go. Another $200. FInally, Design agreed to the 13.2 kW design I wanted, with 4 Powerwalls totaling 54 kW of storage, and two inverters, eliminating a single point of failure. Service had to be upgraded to 200 A. from 100 A. with a brand-new load center, solar approved. Done, another 4 figures. LA Fire, and LA Building changed codes during this period, requiring further changes to the design and location of certain things. Fully 7 iterations of the design were done for various reasons prior to installation, and an additional iteration will be done post-installation because of some incorrect load calculations and a mistake in the wiring diagram, this to support the coming inspection which, we hope, will not produce additional surprises. Then the installers came, and for code and technical reasons, decided that a different panel was required, and all the circuits had to be transferred to the new panel. This was included in the contracted installation; no extra charge. But a lot of extra work for the Tesla electricians. After a long three days (typical installation takes one to two, says Tesla), the heroic installers completed their work and commissioned the system. By then, it was sunset, so it was necessary to wait until the next day to see if everything worked. It did! Because some of the panels are north-facing, which is suboptimal, the 13 kW nameplate system only produces a maximum of 9.8 kW at noon near the summer solstice, but this is enough power for long enough each day to bring the Powerwalls up to full charge each morning, run the pool pump in the morning and the air conditioning in the afternoon, and keep the Tesla Model S topped off, all without calling on power from the grid. Winter conditions will produce less power, but less needed because of no air conditioning required. It’s amazing: like running off grid from a silent whole-house generator and a propane tank that automatically fills itself each day for free. Now, it’s on to inspection and then Permission To Operate from the utility so excess capacity can be generated and sold back to Souther California Edison, rather than curtailed and wasted. Bottom line: when you click “order” from Tesla or any other vendor, be prepared for it to lead to more complexity than you thought! And likely significantly more time and money.
3.93 4 Reviews
Latest review
Jake DiRe - CEO - EcoMark Solar,
over 1 month
EcoMark Solar has sold and installed over two dozen Sonnen units in Colorado! The entire EcoMark Solar team enjoys working with them. The product is easy to install, cutting edge, and all of our customers are very satisfied.
Read more
Average cost (5kW system)
$14,012 ($2.80 per watt)
Latest review
Jake DiRe - CEO - EcoMark Solar, over 1 month
EcoMark Solar has sold and installed over two dozen Sonnen units in Colorado! The entire EcoMark Solar team enjoys working with them. The product is easy to install, cutting edge, and all of our customers are very satisfied.
2.05 74 Reviews
Latest review
javier,
over 1 month
ever since they installed my system the red light on my inverter have been on for 90% of the time and my system is under production i called several times and no result sometimes i only produce 5kW i have 13 panels
Read more
Average cost (5kW system)
$14,012 ($2.80 per watt)
Latest review
javier, over 1 month
ever since they installed my system the red light on my inverter have been on for 90% of the time and my system is under production i called several times and no result sometimes i only produce 5kW i have 13 panels
3.75 1 Reviews
Latest review
Anonymous,
over 1 month
I work closely with the North American sales manager for BYD - Nicholas. When he comes to South Florida, I try to teach him Spanish and feed him good Cuban food.<br /><br />Because BYD is such a large company and has been around for so long (Warren BUffet invested in them) - I trust they will be there to help us if any support needs arise. It is helpful to go to one team of engineers for solar power and batteries.
Read more
Average cost (5kW system)
$14,012 ($2.80 per watt)
Latest review
Anonymous, over 1 month
I work closely with the North American sales manager for BYD - Nicholas. When he comes to South Florida, I try to teach him Spanish and feed him good Cuban food.<br /><br />Because BYD is such a large company and has been around for so long (Warren BUffet invested in them) - I trust they will be there to help us if any support needs arise. It is helpful to go to one team of engineers for solar power and batteries.
3.75 2 Reviews
Latest review
Anonymous,
over 1 month
This batteries rock, last easily 3-4 years in heavy usage (discharging and charging completelly once a day), specially if you use good charger controllers. They just relased some AGM solar ones, testing them now, lets see how they go, but they claim 8 years life... <br /><br />Always supersize the panels, they are way cheaper than batteries and keep batteries full all the time, also get a battery balancer that equalizes battery voltage, this helps a lot!
Read more
Average cost (5kW system)
$14,012 ($2.80 per watt)
Latest review
Anonymous, over 1 month
This batteries rock, last easily 3-4 years in heavy usage (discharging and charging completelly once a day), specially if you use good charger controllers. They just relased some AGM solar ones, testing them now, lets see how they go, but they claim 8 years life... <br /><br />Always supersize the panels, they are way cheaper than batteries and keep batteries full all the time, also get a battery balancer that equalizes battery voltage, this helps a lot!
Compare prices and reviews on all models of solar batteries
Average battery review score: 3.65
Average battery cost per kWh of usable storage: $1,256.63
Best unit price
$10,600
$785.19 per kWh
Table 1: POWERWALL overview
Type
Lithium-ion
Usable Energy (kWh)
13.50
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: POWERWALL+ 2 overview
Type
LITHIUM ION
Usable Energy (kWh)
14.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
YES
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: ECO GEN 3.1/20 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
20.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: ECO GEN 3.1/7.5 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
7.50
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: ECO GEN 3.1/17.5 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
17.50
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: ECO GEN 3.1/10 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
10.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: SONNENCORE 10 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
10.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: SONNEN ECOLINX 30 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
30.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
15
Best unit price
$33,000
$2,750.00 per kWh
Table 1: ECOLINX 12 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
12.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
15
Table 1: ECO GEN 3.1/5 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
5.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: ECO GEN 3.1/12.5 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
12.50
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: ECO GEN 3.1/15 overview
Type
Lithium-ion Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
15.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: SOLAREDGE ENERGY BANK overview
Type
LITHIUM ION
Usable Energy (kWh)
10.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
NO
Warranty (years)
10
Best unit price
$7,000
$714.29 per kWh
Table 1: LG CHEM RESU10H overview
Type
Lithium-ion
Usable Energy (kWh)
9.80
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
yes
Manufactured
KR
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: A005KEEN261 overview
Manufactured
KR
Table 1: LG CHEM RESU7H overview
Type
Lithium-ion
Usable Energy (kWh)
7.00
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
yes
Manufactured
KR
Warranty (years)
10
Best unit price
$11,360
$1,109.38 per kWh
Table 1: BATTERY-BOX H10.0 overview
Type
Lithium Iron Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
10.24
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
Yes
Manufactured
CN
Warranty (years)
10
Best unit price
$1,294
$924.29 per kWh
Table 1: TR 12.8-110 LI-ION overview
Type
Deep-Cycle Lithium Iron Phosphate
Usable Energy (kWh)
1.40
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
8
Table 1: SIND 02 1990 overview
Type
Deep-Cycle Solar Flooded
Usable Energy (kWh)
3.98
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Warranty (years)
10
Table 1: SAGM 12 205 overview
Type
Deep-Cycle solar AGM
Usable Energy (kWh)
2.46
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Table 1: SAGM 12 135 overview
Type
Deep-Cycle solar AGM
Usable Energy (kWh)
1.62
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Table 1: SAGM 08 165 overview
Type
Deep-Cycle solar AGM
Usable Energy (kWh)
1.32
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Table 1: SAGM 06 220 overview
Type
Deep-Cycle solar AGM
Usable Energy (kWh)
1.32
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Table 1: SAGM 06 315 overview
Type
Deep-Cycle solar AGM
Usable Energy (kWh)
1.89
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Table 1: SAGM 06 375 overview
Type
Deep-Cycle solar AGM
Usable Energy (kWh)
2.25
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Table 1: L16RE-A overview
Type
Flooded/wet lead-acid battery
Inbuilt Battery Inverter
No
Manufactured
US
Table 1: T-145 overview
Type
Flooded/wet lead-acid battery
Manufactured
US
AC-coupled vs DC-coupled solar batteries
Solar panels produce DC (direct current) electricity. Batteries charge and discharge DC electricity. Home appliances, however, use AC (alternating current) power.
Solar power systems with storage - that is, hybrid and off-grid systems - manage AC and DC power flows differently based on whether they’re using an AC-coupled battery or a DC-coupled battery.
Here’s how each type of battery system works:
AC-coupled batteries
In recent years, AC-coupled batteries have become the most popular battery solution for solar-plus-storage setups.
DC power is generated by the solar panels, and then converted to AC power by a standard grid-tie inverter. The resulting AC power can be used for multiple purposes: it can power the home, be exported to the grid, or be sent straight to an AC-coupled battery for storage.
This is possible because AC-coupled all-in-one battery storage systems contain electronics that:
- Convert incoming power from the grid-tie inverter from AC to DC
- Manage the charging and storage of DC power in the battery cells
- Convert outgoing (discharged) power back into AC for use in the home
In an AC-coupled system, DC power from the solar panels is sent to the inverter for conversion.
All energy flows after that are in the form of AC power.
The Tesla Powerwall 2 and the sonnen eco — the two most popular solar battery solutions — use this AC-coupling method because it allows easy retrofitting to existing grid-tied solar systems.
Pro of AC-coupled battery: can be added to any grid-tied system without needing to change the existing setup and grid-tied inverter.
Con of AC-coupled battery: multiple conversions of power from DC to AC (and vice versa) results in higher efficiency losses.
DC-coupled batteries
This coupling method requires a charge controller to regulate the flow of DC power into the battery. A battery inverter is also needed to convert DC power flowing out of the battery into AC power so it can be used in the home. This is the coupling method used for traditional off-grid solar power systems.
Some market-leading DC coupled solutions, such as the StorEdge solution from SolarEdge, incorporate a charge controller into the battery inverter. Paired with a battery, such as the LG Chem RESU, this allows them to offer an all-in-one home energy storage solution similar to the AC-coupled Tesla Powerwall and sonnen eco.
In a DC-coupled system, the inverter uses DC power from the solar panels to charge the DC battery.
Pro of DC-coupled batteries: lower power losses as there are fewer power inversions.
Con of DC-coupled batteries: to retrofit to existing grid-tied systems the grid tied inverter has to be compatible with the battery inverter.