The Best Solar Battery Storage Brands

Solar storage batteries are a huge investment. So, it’s worth doing research before making a purchase. 

Below we’ll cover everything you need to know including:

This is a 10-minute read, so if you’re stuck for time:

• Bookmark this page for later
• Read our quick overview below
• Get a fixed price for your solar panel system using our clickable tool here

Overview: The Best Batteries For Solar Panels

We’ve shortlisted the 3 best solar battery brands below which include: 

Expect the price of these batteries to add £2,495-£4,995 onto your solar panel installation cost. All these brands use lithium-ion batteries that are better than lead-acid in every single way, including: 

• Compact and easy to install
• Longer lasting (15 years or 6,000 cycles for the majority of quality solar batteries)
• Higher levels of discharge (up to 85% compared with as low as 50% for lead-acid)
• Much more efficient (nearing 95% efficient compared to as low as 70%)

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For those looking for high levels of self-sufficiency, you’ll want the biggest battery possible. This protects you from the constant rise in energy costs. 

However, if you’re 100% focused on return on investment, you’ll want the smallest battery possible. A small battery will mean you see a payback period on your system of approximately 11-years, compared to 14-years for those using a large solar battery. 

Use our clickable tool here. That’ll give you fixed prices on-screen, but you’ll be able to flick between different battery options to see which setup works best for you.

Our Guide To The Best Solar Storage Batteries

The 3 Best Solar Panel Battery Brands

You'll see massive variations in solar storage battery prices. Lesser known brands with short warranties can be £1,000 cheaper than the best solar battery brands available in the UK. 

But alongside a long warranty, a top battery manufacturer is going to offer: 

But, which are the best solar battery brands available in the UK? 

Below is our shortlist of the top 3 solar battery brands, all of which we incorporate into systems we fit. 

Get prices for your system utilising a battery from a leading manufacturer by using our clickable solar panel tool here. 

Sunsynk

If you've had a quote for a solar panel system with a battery from any UK installer, there's a good chance you've heard the name Sunsynk. They've been a leader in manufacturing inverters and solar panel batteries for over 20 years and are trademarked in 40 different countries.

For those looking for maximum return on investment, the Sunsynk 5.32kWh storage battery is ideal. This is available as an L-series (great for installations with limited space) or the G-series.

Unlike lesser known brands, the Sunsynk 5.32kWh solar battery doesn't need a dip switch, making installation simple and cheap.

Various fail safes are incorporated into Sunsynk's batteries to ensure it doesn't:

• Over discharge
• Overheat
• Overcharge 

Not only is this going to increase efficiency, it prolongs the life of the battery to ensure you get the maximum amount of cycles out of it as possible.

The Sunsynk 5.3kWh is one of the best solar storage batteries we install. And, costing just £2,495 (zero VAT), it’s a small investment that will pay dividends in the long term. 

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Total cost including panels would be in the region of £8,388. You’d expect a return on investment for your solar panels and battery to be approximately 11 years.

Get fixed prices for your complete system, including a storage solution from one of the best solar panel battery manufacturer’s available in the UK using our clickable tool here. 

AlphaESS

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AlphaESS is another of the leading solar battery manufacturers available in the UK. Their battery solutions cover electric vehicles, as well as solar systems for residential and commercial properties. Over 75,000 systems worldwide operate using an AlphaESS solar storage battery.

For residential properties, their typical systems sit in the 3-20kWh range. Their batteries are stackable, so you can add to them over time if you feel you’d benefit further from having extra solar storage. 

Put simply, they have a battery solution for most UK properties, as well as off-grid solutions. 

As an example, we have their SMILE-M5 battery range, available in 5-20kWh outputs. 

Features include the likes of: 

• 100% depth of discharge
• Extremely quiet (operating at less than 35dB)
• 2-in-1 systems available (solar panel battery that incorporates an inverter)
• Huge warranty of 10-years

Use our clickable solar panel battery tool to determine which is the most suitable size and brand for your property here. 

Enphase

Enphase is our 3rd pick on our list of the best solar storage batteries in the UK. They're an American based company and one of the biggest manufacturers of not just solar batteries, but solar inverters too. 

Similar to AlphaESS, many of the batteries on offer in the Enphase range (such as the Enphase IQ) are stackable. So, you're able to build a basic system on day one (with a small storage battery) and simply add to it over time when you determine it's worth the additional investment. 

In terms of apps, Enphase produces one of the best. By using their app, you'll be able to track the likes of: 

• Energy imported from the grid
• Energy exported to the grid
• Electricity generated
• Current battery discharge rate
• Your energy dependency / self-sufficiency percentage (helping you make a decision as to whether or not your should invest in an additional storage battery)
• Battery charge level

In terms of warranty, you don't get much better than Enphase. Even some of the best solar panel battery manufacturers offer just a 2-5 year warranty. 

Enphase? They currently offer a market leading warranty of 15-years, that’s approximately 6,000 cycles.

Use our solar panel tool here. We’ll customise a solar panel system (including a battery) that’s most suited to your property. 

Solar Panel Battery Costs

Picking a unit from one of the best solar battery brands (Sunsynk, AlphaESS or Enphase) is likely to add on anywhere between £2,495-£4,995 onto the cost of your installation. 

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Prices (including installation) are:

• Small 5.3kWh solar storage battery: £2,495
• Medium 10.6kWh solar storage battery: £3,745
• Large 15.9kWh solar storage battery: £4,995

As you can see from the graphic above, VAT is charged at 0%. There are further details covering the 0% VAT on solar panels here but in short…

The UK government has introduced a 0% VAT rate (rather than the usual 20%) on various green energy products, including solar batteries. 

In the example above, using a £4,995 15.9kWh battery, you are saving £999 in VAT thanks to this scheme!

We’ve written a detailed guide to solar storage batteries here. Or, jump straight ahead and compare prices with different battery setups using our clickable solar panel tool here. 

The Best Type of Solar Battery Storage

If you're looking at brands not on our list above, you'll want to make sure you buy a lithium-ion battery. 

Some manufacturers still produce lead acid solar batteries, and they fall short of lithium-ion equivalents in nearly every single way.

Size

Lithium-ion is the best type of solar battery for compact installations. They tend to be both lighter and smaller than the lead-acid equivalent. 

Lifespan

Any kind of solar panel battery is expensive, so you want it to last as long as possible. 

A typical lead-acid battery will have a warranty of 2-years, and last around 5. However, lithium-ion batteries from top solar storage brands will come with a warranty of 5-15 years, with its lifespan being around 3x that of lead-acid.

Depth of Discharge

Running batteries to 0% charge isn't good for it long-term. Most manufacturer's of lead-acid solar batteries will suggest a max depth of discharge of 50%, for lithium-ion this is increased to around 85%. 

Put simply, around 50% of the charge in a lead-acid battery...is absolutely useless!

Overall performance

It's not just depth of discharge where lithium-ion outperforms lead-acid. 

Expect efficiency levels of around 95% for lithium-ion, but as low as 70% for lead acid.

Which Battery is Best For Self-Sufficiency?

If you’re worried about rising energy costs, utilising a solar panel storage battery is a great option. 

Here are the self-sufficiency levels (how much you rely on the grid for electricity) for solar panel setups we offer: 

• Solar panels, but no battery: 24%
• Small battery: 54%
• Medium battery: 66%
• Large battery: 69%

‍*The figures above are based on a reasonably high consumption household (4,545kWh per year).

As you can see, there’s a balance between cost and self-sufficiency. 

But, even using a small battery (£2,495), you’d see self-sufficiency increase from 24% to 54%. We’d suggest using a small battery as a minimum. However, if your focus is on self-sufficiency, you’ll want the biggest battery possible.

You can use our clickable solar panel tool here. There, you’ll be able to determine which is the most suitable setup for your property.

Best Solar Battery For ROI

If your focus is on return on investment (ROI) rather than self-sufficiency, the best solar battery to fit is a small one!

Due to how much solar panel batteries cost, the smaller the battery, the quicker you’ll see a return. For example’s sake, here are 3 setups we currently offer, and we can see the ROI / payback period below: 

• Solar panels and a small battery: 11 years
• Solar panels and a medium battery: 13 years
• Solar panels with a large battery: 14 years

You can use our solar panel tool here. If you click between the different battery options, you’ll see how this affects the payback period and return on investment, specifically for your property.

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