How does a solar battery work?

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A battery can store the energy generated by your [solar installation](https://www.holaluz.com/en/solar-panels/) for you to use whenever you want. Before learning how solar batteries work, let's look at the installation process in detail:

1. Solar panels generate electricity thanks to the sun's irradiation.
2. The inverter, another component making up the system, converts this direct current electricity into alternating current suitable for domestic use.
3. Any electricity you don’t use is stored in the battery.
4. When the sun goes down, your household electricity consumption (heating, electric vehicle, household appliances...) draws on the energy stored in your battery, instead of pulling energy from the grid.

**Lithium-ion batteries** are the most widely used today. Very simply put, **its operation is based** on three fundamental elements: the anode, the cathode and the electrolyte. When we connect the battery, lithium ions move from the anode to the cathode through an electrolyte producing free electrons. They accumulate, and the batteries charge and store electricity.

**What advantages do batteries have?**

- By adding your battery and inverter to a backup system, you’ll turn your home into a small energy island. If there were a short power cut, you’d still have electricity at home.
- If you have an electricity tariff with different hourly rates, you can avoid pulling energy from the grid during peak hours, when the price is higher.

And what **disadvantages** do they have?

If there's a disadvantage to them, it's undoubtedly the cost. But there are alternatives! At Holaluz, in order to **minimise the cost of the solar installation** and **maximise savings** from day one, we’re committed to the virtual battery. With its help, and thanks to a change in the energy model towards [distributed generation](https://www.holaluz.com/en/solar-panels/distributed-generation/), we manage to apply **a fixed savings quota to your entire electricity bill**, not only to the energy part (consumption). You could even have leftover savings after having covered 100% of your bill.

On the other hand, if you already have solar panels installed and you want to switch to Holaluz, we offer a [**Virtual Battery**](https://www.holaluz.com/en/solar-panels/self-consumption-with-surplus-rate/), Holaluz Cloud, our technology for buying and selling surplus energy.

How does a solar battery work?

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