If you’re looking at solar, you’ve probably got a tonne of questions. Top of that list, given the cost, is probably whether you need a battery with your solar panels. In this post we answer the question: Can I use a solar panel and inverter without a battery? We explain where you can use a solar panel and inverter without a battery. As well as where you can’t. We also explain why the inverter you choose matters. How it impacts whether your solar panels work with a battery, or without one. And how it dictates whether your solar will work with the power grid. Let’s get into the answers right now.

Can I use a solar panel and inverter without a battery? TL;DR

Yes, you can use a solar panel and inverter without a battery. But your solar panel and inverter should be connected to the electricity grid.

In fact, most of the solar panels installed on homes in businesses in Australia are installed this way.

Solar panels installed in off grid situations, including portable power stations, must have an inverter and a battery. And critically, the inverter you choose matters to whether your solar works the way you want it to. We explain why in this post.

There are some limited circumstances where you can use a solar panel and inverter without a battery off the grid. You can find a link to these down below.

What does an inverter do in a solar panel system?

To know where and why a inverter is used with solar panels and batteries, you need to know what it does. And why it’s needed in the first place.

In a solar panel system, an inverter has an important job. It changes the type of electricity produced by the solar panels (direct current or DC) into the type of electricity you use in your home (alternate current or AC).

You see, solar panels make a kind of electricity that can’t be used directly by our appliances and devices. So, the inverter must be used to change it into the right kind of electricity.

The inverter also helps the solar system work with the power grid. It makes sure the electricity from the solar panels matches the power from the power lines. With the right inverter installed, the solar panels can share electricity with the grid or send it to our home to use when you need it.

Sending extra solar power into the power grid (after you’ve powered your house) lets you earn credits for the extra electricity we produce.

There are inverters that also allow a combined solar battery system connect with the power grid. So that the 3 work smoothly together to run your home and help support the grid.

You can directly connect an inverter to the power grid, to your house and to your battery. But you can’t connect your solar panels directly to the power grid or to your household appliances. You must have an inverter between them because the power from each is not compatible.

What does a solar battery do?

A residential solar battery is a device that stores extra electricity generated by solar panels installed on a house. It works like a rechargeable battery that can save the extra electricity produced during sunny days for use later when the sun isn’t shining, like at night or during cloudy weather.

The main purpose of a residential solar battery is to store and provide electricity to power the home when the solar panels aren’t producing enough or any electricity. Instead of relying solely on the electricity grid, which might come from non-renewable sources, the battery allows homeowners to use the clean and renewable energy they generated themselves.

Having a solar battery at home offers a few benefits. First, it gives you more independence from the grid and reduces your reliance on electricity from the utility company. It also helps save money on energy bills because you can use the stored electricity during peak rate hours when electricity might be more expensive.

In case of a power outage, a solar battery can act as a backup power source, providing electricity to critical appliances or devices until the power is restored. This can be especially useful during emergencies or severe weather conditions when the grid power might be unreliable.

Overall, a residential solar battery gives homeowners more control over their energy usage, allows them to use clean energy when it’s most needed, and provides a backup power source during outages.

Solar panel installations without battery power

This section explains how to use solar panel and inverter directly without battery. This type of installation is typically connected to the power grid.

Grid-Connected Solar Panels

Grid-connected solar panels, also called grid-tied or grid-interconnected systems, allow you to generate electricity from solar energy and connect the solar system with your existing electrical grid.

In this installation, the solar panels are connected to the inverter, which converts the direct current (DC) electricity generated by the panels into alternating current (AC) usable by your home or business and by the power grid.

Unlike solar systems with batteries, grid-connected systems do not store excess electricity for later use. Instead, any surplus energy produced by the solar panels is fed back into the grid, and you can draw power from the grid when the sun isn’t shining and the solar panels not producing power.

So the grid acts as a giant battery for everyone connected to it. It’s not storing your solar power though. It’s sending it to someone else who needs it at that time.

The inverter sits between your solar panels and your home, and between your solar panels and the power grid. So it’s connected to both the solar panels and the power grid.

Most grid connected homes with solar in Australia have at least a 5kW solar system without a battery. It’s the most cost effective solar set up if the power lines already run past your house. A grid connected solar system will pay itself off in 3 to 4 years. Leaving you with 20 years of free solar power.

Off grid solar panels

A solar panel and inverter without battery only really works in very limited off grid situations. Why? There are a few reasons.

Firstly, think about how solar panels generator power. It’s from the sun. Which only shines a certain number of hours a day.

So without a battery, what would you do for power at night off grid? There wouldn’t be any.

That’s why in an off-grid system, without a battery you should be prepared for the system to stop working frequently. Because without a battery, the power will drop out all the time. If the solar panel output becomes lower than the power needed at any instant, the system will shut down.

And in a day of variable sunshine, that can happen A LOT!

This makes it really difficult to rely on this type of system.

Secondly, a solar panel and inverter without a battery off grid is also harsh on your appliances and devices.

Think about it. All of our electronics are designed to be powered from the grid. Which means they’re all made to accept high quality and stable power.

But without a battery, the power from an off grid solar system is very unstable. The sun shines one minute and it’s cloudy the next. The solar power fluctuates with the sunshine. And so does its voltage and current. This will soon cause damage to sensitive electronics in your home.

Batteries with battery management systems play an important role in regulating power output and protecting the appliances attached to it.

These are two great reasons that battery is a key component in system design and functionality and application. For more on why this is, check out this post Can an off grid solar system work without batteries?

Off grid systems are expensive. You need a lot of solar batteries to run an entire home, especially in colder climates. But for some people that don’t have grid power running past their door, they can still be cheaper than paying for new power lines.

What type of inverter do you need?

It can be confusing trying to work out what type of battery you need for your situation. So here’s a summary of the 3 main types you’ll come across.

Smart inverter

Solar + power grid + house

A smart inverter is another name for a grid tied inverter. An inverter that connects your solar system to the electricity grid. Connecting your solar to the power grid means that you can sell any extra power into the grid when you’re not using it.

‘Smart’ describes the growing capability of these types of inverters that allow solar panels to connect to the electricity grid.

Because there is so much solar on rooftops in Australia, in aggregate they can cause problems for the stability of the electricity grid. So technical standards require better functionality from inverters to help them work together with the grid. They now need to be ‘smart’ and help the power grid to work.

You can find out which grid tied smart inverters meet the standards to connect to the grid from this Clean Energy Council approved inverter list.

Off grid inverter

Solar + battery + house

Off grid inverters are connected to solar panels and a battery, but not the power grid. They can’t feed energy into the power grid from a solar system for instance. So you wouldn’t have one of these if you are connected to the electricity grid.

Off grid inverters are cheaper than hybrid inverters because they don’t need all of the same functions that are now required to connect an inverter to an electricity grid.

Hybrid inverter

Solar + battery + house + power grid

Solar inverters convert DC to AC power for solar panels. Battery inverters do the same for batteries.

Hybrid inverters can perform this function for both!

Hybrid inverters can connect to solar panels, a battery and the power grid. They can work as either solar inverters or battery inverters. This extra functionality means they’re generally more expensive.

Importantly, they don’t rely on the electricity grid to work. They can keep working if the grid goes down.

For these reasons, hybrid inverters are used in solar power systems with battery storage, grid-tied systems with backup power capability, off-grid systems, home energy management systems, and remote or island applications.

By combining the functionalities of grid-tied and off-grid inverters, hybrid inverters provide versatility, energy optimization, and the ability to integrate renewable energy sources with battery storage and the utility grid.

Hybrid inverters can be built in to solar battery systems.

One common question about hybrid inverters is: Can a hybrid inverter work without a battery or the grid? The answer is yes. But its not the most cost effective option just for your solar panels.

Why pay for extra functionality you won’t use?

Pure sine wave inverter

Pure sine wave inverters are used where a pristine and stable power source is paramount. Mostly for sensitive electronics and motor-driven equipment. But also in RVs, boats, and off-grid power systems. By providing a smooth sine wave output, these inverters ensure optimal performance, reduce the risk of equipment damage, and enable a wide range of electrical devices to operate smoothly.

You can get both hybrid and off grid pure sine wave inverters. These combine the functionality of a hybrid of off grid inverter, with the performance of a pure sine wave inverter.

Conclusion

While batteries are commonly associated with solar panel systems, using a solar panel and inverter without a battery is the most common set up when connected to the power grid. This set up requires a smart inverter, which lets you use the grid as big battery. More and more people are solar batteries at home even though they’re still connected to the power grid. They’re looking to reduce costs as the price of grid power goes up. Hybrid inverters are great in this scenario. Off grid solar systems really do require batteries so you have power at night and in bad weather. Off grid inverters will do the job here and are cheaper than hybrid options.

FAQ

Can you run an inverter directly off a solar panel?

Yes, the inverter usually sits between the solar panel and the load that the solar panel is powering. So the solar panel is connected to the inverter, which converts the DC solar power into the AC power used in homes.

Will a 12V DC water pump work if directly connected to solar panels without a battery?

Yes, a 12 volt DC water pump will work if connected to solar panels without a battery. But to regulate voltage and current, consider a DC to DC converter between the solar panels and the pump. If you want to know more, check out this post “Can an off grid solar system work without batteries?’.

Do I need a battery with an inverter?

No, you don’t need a battery with an inverter provided your home and your solar system are connected to the electricity grid. Most homes with solar power are installed with an inverter and no battery.

If you are off grid, you do need a battery with your inverter. Otherwise you’ll have poor quality and intermittent power feeding from your solar panels into your home devices. And you’ll have no power at night when solar panels don’t generate electricity.

Can I just plug a solar panel into an outlet?

No, you can’t just plug a solar panel into an outlet or power point in your home. This is because solar panels produce a different type of power than the type used on your home. Solar power is ‘direct current’ or ‘DC’ power. Your home and the power grid both use ‘Alternating Current’ or AC power.

You need a device called an ‘inverter’ to convert the DC power from your solar panels, into the AC power used in your home. The inverter sits between your solar panels and your home power board / switch board.