- Battery Storage in Sales Mode
- Battery Storage in Design Mode
- Selecting a Battery
- Selecting an Inverter
- Operating Modes
- Utility Bill Savings
- Daily Usage
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Pricing Batteries
There are two main ways to access Storage in Aurora; through Sales Mode or Design Mode and making changes in one will be automatically reflected across the other.
The Storage pages allow you to add one or multiple batteries to your design and model for backup power self-consumption, or energy arbitrage. You can even create a battery-only proposal for homeowners with panels already installed — learn more at PV & Storage Retrofit Projects.
Battery Storage in Sales Mode
Admins can configure or hide where the Storage page appears in proposals across the entire tenant in Settings > Sales Mode customization. Users are also able to show/hide the Storage page in the Proposal Editor.
To view and edit Storage options for a proposal, click on the battery icon in the top navigation bar in Sales Mode.
Battery Storage in Design Mode
You can also access the Storage page in the dropdown menu in Design Mode. This will have the same functionality as in Sales Mode.
Note: In order to run self-consumption calculations in Design Mode, you will need to click on Simulate upon making any changes. Aurora calculations assume a 2% degradation in battery capacity per year.
Selecting a Battery
Select the desired battery model from the dropdown and enter the quantity. Aurora will then calculate the:
- Capacity (kWh): total energy stored in the battery or batteries
- Output (kW): the maximum kW that can be discharged continuously
- Cost ($): total cost of the battery or batteries
Selecting an Inverter
You may have the option to add an inverter depending on the battery model you’ve selected.
- AC Batteries: These include an integrated inverter, so you will not need to select a battery inverter.
- DC Batteries: These will require you to select a battery inverter.
Operating Modes
Sales Mode will allow you to toggle between different operating modes depending on what is most important to the homeowner.
Backup
With the Operating Mode set to Backup, this assumes that their batteries will be kept charged for emergency scenarios only (power outages, natural disasters, etc.). Aurora will calculate the backup duration (in days) for:
- Essentials: Backup electrical fixtures and select outlets
- Appliances: Backup small appliances and essentials
- Whole Home: Backup major appliances and essentials
These numbers will automatically recalculate when adding or removing batteries. For more information on how these are calculated, see Backup Duration – Calculations.
Self-Consumption
With the Operating Mode set to Self-Consumption, this assumes that the homeowner will be consuming energy from their battery and recharging it with excess energy from their solar system.
To calculate self-consumption, Aurora models battery charge and drain based on:
- The homeowner’s energy consumption information
- The production of the system at a given hour of the day
- The specifications of the battery being used
See the below flow chart for more detail:
Energy Arbitrage
Energy Arbitrage represents an advanced operating mode designed to optimize the utilization of surplus PV energy for self-consumption, taking into account the homeowner’s utility compensation rate structure. This mode strategically manages the charging and discharging schedule of the battery system to maximize utility bill savings. It takes into account the cost of imported energy and the potential revenue or credits gained from exporting surplus PV energy to the grid.
A significant feature of energy arbitrage is its capability to allow the battery to discharge directly to the grid, thereby generating additional revenue or credits during specific periods. Energy arbitrage is suitable for homeowners in utility markets with time-of-use rates or variable compensation structures; this includes systems under NEM3.0 in CA, AZ, TX, and NC.
To determine the best schedule, Aurora models battery charge and drain based on:
- The homeowner’s energy consumption information
- The production of the system at a given hour of the day
- The specifications of the battery being used
- The utility rate schedule for imported and exported electricity prices
By leveraging these factors, energy arbitrage aims to efficiently manage energy resources, minimize costs, and potentially generate income through strategic battery usage.
It is important to note that energy arbitrage might not lead to higher bill savings in every territory compared to self-consumption. In regions without time-of-use schedules or 1-to-1 net metering, Aurora may not offer advantageous bill savings.
See the below flow chart for more detail:
Backup Reserve (Self-Consumption or Energy Arbitrage modes only)
Backup reserve enables you to specify a backup percentage to reserve for use in case of outages. For example, setting the backup reserve to 20% will never drain the battery lower than 20%, and use the remaining 80% for self-consumption or energy arbitrage. This can give homeowners some of the financial benefits of self-consuming, with peace-of-mind that they will still have power in emergency scenarios.
Drag the slider to the desired percentage, and Aurora will automatically recalculate the appropriate values across the design.
Utility Bill Savings
Aurora will calculate the homeowners’ estimated monthly utility bills for:
- Solar only
- Solar + battery
You can then click on the graph for each month to see the estimated average utility bills throughout each month of the year.
Note: These bill estimations do not factor in the system cost or financing. You will need to navigate to the Bill Comparison page in Sales Mode to view the final bill estimations.
Daily Usage
Click on Daily usage to show, for the selected month, the average percentage of electricity the homeowner will use from the grid for:
- Solar only
- Solar + battery
The chart below breaks down how the homeowners’ energy is consumed, produced, and stored during an average day within the selected month.
Consumption is the dashed line representing the energy required to power the home throughout each hour of the day. This energy is consumed from:
- Solar: energy produced by their solar system
- Battery: energy stored in their battery system
- Grid: energy purchased from the grid
Solar production is the dashed line representing the energy their solar system is producing throughout each hour of the day. This energy is used to power the home, and the excess is used for:
- Charging: charging their battery system, up to 100% state of charge
- Export to grid: once the battery is fully charged, their excess solar energy is exported to the grid
Click on the Hide battery toggle to show how their energy is produced and consumed without battery storage.
Pricing Batteries
Batteries are added as a line item on the Financing page in Sales Mode, using the price for the model as specified by the account admin.
Admin users must set the sale price for batteries in the Aurora Battery Database. Search for the battery then click the name of the battery you wish to price.
Next click Edit and add the sale price for this battery option. Don't forget to click Save when finished.