As you begin to explore the world of budget off-grid solar systems, you might wonder if it’s possible for these systems to function without batteries. After all, batteries are expensive and can really push up the total cost of an off-grid solar system. The answer is, yes, an off-grid solar system can work without batteries, but there are some important considerations and pretty severe limitations to keep in mind. Read on to find out what these are and avoid wasting your hard earned on a system that won’t work for you.

Can off grid solar system work without batteries? TL;DR

When the sun is shining, an off grid solar system can immediately convert sunlight into usable electricity without the need for battery storage.

But why would someone want an off grid power system without a battery?

In one word: cost.

It’s true, directly powering devices with solar is much cheaper than adding batteries to the same power system. But before opting for this kind of set up it’s important you keep these considerations and limitations in mind:

1. As soon as the sun goes down or your panels are obscured by clouds or shade, the system will stop producing power.
2. You still need extra equipment on top of the solar panels to run this kind of system.
3. The system is very limited in terms of what appliances and devices you can run.
4. There is some technical knowledge required to set up the system – matching the voltage and amps from the solar panels to whatever you plug into them.
5. It really only works with small DC loads and and motor based DC loads.
6. It’s not practical for large loads or entire homes.

So while off-grid solar systems are capable of functioning without batteries, understanding their limitations and requirements is crucial to ensuring your energy needs can be met. And that you don’t end up wasting money on a system you can’t really use.

Lets have a look at each of these considerations below.

Off grid solar system – how it works

Harnessing Sunlight

Off-grid solar systems use solar panels to capture direct sunlight and convert it into DC (direct current) electricity. The solar panels allow you to harness the power of the sun and support your energy needs.

The first thing to know is that solar panels do not directly produce the same type of electricity most of our home devices and appliances use – which is Alternating Current or AC power.

This means solar panels can only directly power DC devices and appliances.

The second thing to understand is that direct sunlight is variable and not consistent. It peaks in the middle of the day and is less strong in the morning and afternoon. It’s stronger in summer than in winter. And it drops as clouds pass by and with rainfall.

This means the the power from your off grid solar system will also be variable and not consistent. So it needs to be managed to become more stable before it passes into your sensitive appliances and devices.

Energy regulation

The other thing you get in an off grid solar system with a battery is energy regulation or energy management.

Our appliances and devices operate most efficiently within voltage limits. They also operate with limits for current or amperage.

If electricity is passed to our devices outside of these limits, it can damage them.

If you’re powering DC appliances with DC power from solar panels, there still needs to be some regulation of that power. To keep it within the right voltage limits and current limits.

Extra components are needed for this to happen.

How to use a solar panel directly without a battery

Plugging your appliances directly into your solar panels won’t work too well. In fact, this only really works with DC motor-based loads (like a bilge pump or DC fan).

There are a bunch of reasons why – mostly due to energy regulation and compatibility issues we’ve already talked about.

To run an off-grid solar system without batteries, it’s essential to have the right components and design between your solar panels and devices. This section will explain how to use a solar panel directly without a battery.

Solar Panels

When choosing solar panels, you have to consider factors such as efficiency, wattage, voltage and amps. These things need to be compatible between your solar panels and the electricity system or devices you’re feeding into.

Down below, we talk about what kind of solar panel set up you’d most likely purchase if you’re looking to run things directly from the panels, without a battery.

It’s also best to ensure that you have enough panels in your system to generate the necessary power for your needs during the day. If you’re not sure how much solar power you need check out this post ‘What will a 100 watt solar panel run?”

If you’re using multiple solar panels together, make sure they’re wired in such a way as to stay within the voltage and current limitations of your converter and your devices.

You can wire solar panels in parallel or in series. Each has a different impact on the voltage and amps of your off grid solar system. Here is a nice little tutorial to help understand how to wire solar panels for your off grid solar system.

Your solar panels will plug into a DC/DC converter, and then the converter will plug into your devices.

DC / DC converter

This device converts direct current (DC) power from one voltage to another. Remember how we said you need to match voltage between your panels and your devices or you could cause damage? This device will help do that.

If you are running 12V DC appliances using your solar panels, a DC / DC converter will also stabilise the voltage in that system.

A DC / DC converter can also protect your smaller device and appliances from oversized panels trying to feed too much power into your appliances or devices. Good quality converters have built-in over-voltage, under-voltage, overload, over-heat and short circuit protection.

When it comes to wiring, the DC to DC converter sits between your solar panels and your device. Connect your solar panel output point to your DC converter and then connect the converter to your appliance.

Do solar panels need batteries?

Off grid solar systems typically include solar panels, a solar charger and a battery. Sometimes, they also include an inverter. Your appliances and devices are typically plugged into the battery and run from stored solar power. They’re not run directly by the solar panels themselves.

But do solar panels need batteries to work?

An off grid solar system without batteries is an alternative option for directly powering your portable or small load energy needs.

These systems use solar panels to generate electricity, which is then used directly and instantaneously by your appliances without running the power through batteries or a charge controller.

Instead of relying on battery storage, you are solely dependent on the solar energy produced during daylight hours.

As we’ve mentioned above, use an off-grid solar system without battery storage, you’ll need the right equipment and system design to regulate the current, amps and voltage between the solar panels and your devices.

Without this, the system will constantly trip and could cause damage to more sensitive electronics.

And you can’t power all devices and appliances in this way. It only works for specific types of devices, motors and appliances. We’ll explore this next.

What type of off grid solar system do you need?

When setting up an off-grid solar system without batteries, you need to match voltage, current and amps. But what solar panel voltage configurations might you encounter? And which is best suited to an off grid solar system without batteries?

Here are the usual types:

• 12-volt solar system: Ideal for running small (in energy use) devices or appliances, such as lights, fans, water pumps, or to provide power to a RV or camper van. Typically, these appliances use DC power. The same power a solar panel produces.

• 24-volt system: Suitable for powering medium-sized energy use applications, like a cabin or a small home with basic appliances. These can also be DC appliances. It might be harder to find matching panels and converters with this kind of system.

• 120/240 volt solar system: This configuration is perfect for larger applications, such as entire households, workshops or even small businesses with multiple appliances running simultaneously. These appliances will require AC power to run and are not suited for off grid solar systems without a battery.

Since you can only really run DC motor based loads or DC appliances and devices (with a DC/DC converter), it’s mostly likely you’ll be dealing with a 12V solar system or at most a 24 volt one.

Check out this post ‘What can a 12v solar panel power‘ to learn more about where this kind of off grid solar system is used.

Where to use an off grid solar system without batteries

With all of the limitations point out above, where does an off gird solar system without batteries work? Here are 5 practical use cases we can think of:

• Water pumps, cattle fences, or DC motor-based loads in paddocks or around farms.
• To run 12v DC appliances and devices in RVs, camper vans – with a DC/DC converter
• For discretionary (non essential) single loads – like a mobile wifi router in remote applications etc.
• Where you only need power during the daytime.
• Where you are severely budget constrained.

Pros and Cons of off grid solar systems WITHOUT batteries

Pros:

• Cost-effective: Without the need to purchase expensive batteries, your off-grid solar system costs will be lower.
• Low maintenance: Batteryless systems require less maintenance as batteries need regular check-ups and replacement when they reach the end of their lifespan.
• Fewer energy losses: By using solar energy directly, you lose less energy in the conversion and storage process.

Cons:

• No power without the sun: this one is straightforward. You need direct sunlight on your panel to get sufficient power to run your devices and appliances.
• Only really suited to DC motor based loads or small DC devices and appliances.
• You need to know how to design and wire the system to correctly manage voltage and current.
• Less automated and reliable solution. Adding batteries to off grid solar systems adds reliability and consistent power.
• One solar panel can only operate one load (device or appliance).

Can I use solar panel and inverter without battery?

The answer to this is yes, but it’s mostly with rooftop, grid tied solar panels. Like the solar PV systems that people have installed on their homes. These systems don’t use batteries because they are connected to the power grid, which acts as a giant battery.

The solar panel generates DC power, which the inverter converts to AC power and feeds instantaneously into your household appliances.

When there is too much solar power, the inverter sends this out to the power grid instead of storing it in a battery.

If you use a solar panel and inverter without battery in an off grid system (including for portable power), you face the same kind of limitations we’ve already discussed in this article.

Why adding batteries makes more sense

The truth is, off grid solar systems just make more sense with batteries added. Even though there are extra cost involved.

Batteries allow flexible use of power. They also firm up your power supply. So you can run things 24/7 provided the battery and panels are large enough.

With a solar controller on board, they can also help regulate the power that runs from your solar panels to your devices.

And with a DC / AV inverter, off grid solar systems with batteries can be used to power both DC and AC appliances. So they will work for any of the 3 solar system configurations we discussed up above – 12 volt DC, 24 volt DC, or 120 / 230 volt AC.

This means, with a battery on board you have much more flexibility in how and when you can use your off grid system.

And the good news is. This means you can get cost effective batteries these days, in all different sizes for different energy uses. There’s no need to buy larger batteries than you need.

You can also get more cycles and longer lifespans out of today’s batteries especially the LifeP04 lithium batteries made by companies such as Ecoflow, making them more cost effective over time.

Components of an off grid solar system WITH batteries

Any good off grid solar system starts with quality solar panels. But adding batteries to your off grid solar system also requires some additional wiring and components:

Battery

Of course you need the battery itself. The best type of battery for an off grid solar system is lithium ion. And specifically LifeP04 batteries.

LifeP04 battery chemistry is more powerful, runs at cooler temperatures, and has greater energy density than competing battery types.

This means that LifeP04 of batteries can be smaller and run for longer/more cycles, at high rated capacity.

If you want to know more about how to size your solar panels and your battery to create an off grid solar system, check out these two articles:

1. What size solar panel do I need to charge a 100 AH battery?
2. What size solar panel to charge a 200 AH lithium battery?

Solar charge controller

A charge controller is a vital component that manages the flow of electricity between the solar panels and your battery / connected loads. It ensures that the power generated by your off grid solar system is used efficiently and prevents overcharging of the battery or overloading of your system.

The solar charger sits between the solar panels and the battery system.

It’s crucial to select a charge controller compatible with your solar panels and inverter. Voltage and amps need to marry up.

DC to AC inverter

An inverter is instrumental in converting DC electricity generated by the solar panels to AC electricity suitable for common household appliances.

Some batteries have battery management systems onboard with inverters in them. If you’re battery has a DC solar input port as well as an AC outlet, there’s a good chance the inverter is built in.

In this case you don’t need to buy one separately.

When choosing an inverter, consider its efficiency, capacity, and compatibility (voltage, amps) with your other components.

Recap & next steps

Yes, an off-grid solar system can work without batteries, but this setup is quite limited to certain device types. It’s only for non-essential, small DC appliances. And you need a DC to DC converter to run anything other than DC motor based loads.

The reality is, in most situations off grid solar panels need batteries. Adding battery will make your off grid solar system set up more flexible and reliable. You can use it in a lot more applications. If you do add a battery, make sure you have both a solar charge controller (between the panels and the battery) and a DC to AC inverter (if you’re running standard household devices). If the battery has a built in battery management system you won’t need to buy this separately.

As you plan and implement your off-grid solar system, consider the following steps:

1. Evaluate your power requirements and the type of solar equipment best suited for your needs.
2. Decide if batteries are essential for your setup, or whether relying on directly powering DC equipment is a feasible option.
3. Make sure the amps and voltage of your panels are within the limitations of power your devices can handle, and vice versa.
4. Regularly maintain your solar system, including cleaning solar panels and checking connections.