There are two ways you can harness unused generated solar power, by storing it in batteries, or by selling it back to your power company. Just in case you didn’t know, you can have a functioning solar power system at home that doesn’t involve batteries.
You may have unused generated solar power if your energy consumption is lower than the amount of electricity your solar system produces. This can occur if your energy needs are relatively low, if you are away from home during peak solar production hours, or if your system generates more power than you require.
The simplest way to use excess solar power is to send it back to the grid. Most utility companies offer net metering programs, which allow homeowners with renewable energy systems to sell their excess electricity back to the grid at retail prices. This is a great way to offset your energy costs and help support the growth of renewable energy.
If you have a solar panel system on your home, any electricity that your panels generate but you don’t use gets sent back to the power grid. Your utility company then credits your account for the extra power, which you can draw on later when your panels aren’t generating enough electricity to meet your needs.
When solar panels are decommissioned, they may not be at their end-of-life. It is possible that they may still have another 10 to 12 years of energy producing power left to give. And there is a buyer’s market for used panels that spans throughout the Middle East, Africa and parts of Latin America.
The solar panel will continue to produce electricity as long as there is sunlight hitting it. However, that electricity will have nowhere to go since there is no load attached to the solar panel. In essence, the solar panel will be “wasting” its electricity. Of course, this situation is not ideal if you are trying to save money or power.