So you’ve decided to get a solar battery for your home to get the most out of your solar panels. But now you need to decide where to place the things.

There are many places in a home where a solar battery can go, all of which may appeal to a greater or lesser degree.

Understanding the advantages and disadvantages they have, and discussing this with your solar installer, is something that all homeowners should do before rushing into a decision.

Having good ventilation is essential to keeping your solar battery cool and clean, and preventing it from overheating.

Almost all solar batteries will specifically mention on their datasheet that they rely on natural convection for cooling.

This means that you don’t want to put your battery storage system in an enclosed area with no airflow, or it will be more likely to overheat.

As mentioned above, solar batteries operate best in a certain temperature range. They typically have an internal operating temperature of 20℃ – 55℃, but can become less efficient if they get too hot, even within that range.

You want to keep your battery somewhere it won’t be too hot or too cold. Constant exposure to direct sunlight while operating would be as bad as keeping it in freezing temperatures.

It is best to keep your solar components in close proximity to each other and to the electrical distribution system of your home for the sake of their performance.

Keeping your battery close to the solar inverter or the service will require less wiring between them.

This will result in less power being lost along the way due to increased resistance in the wiring.

While most homeowners will only get one solar battery, at least to start with, there is always room to grow.

The vast majority of solar batteries are capable of having multiple modules connected in series. Some are even designed to stack on top of each other to form a single unit.

This means that you might want to leave some room for expansion with your solar battery, rather than putting it in a tight space.

Having easy access to the location where your storage battery is installed is essential for any routine maintenance, repairs, or replacements which need to be carried out.

Don’t put your battery in a place where it is hard to get at simply because you want it out of the way.

Wherever your solar battery is located, it should be placed somewhere protected from the weather. Constant sunlight can shorten the lifespan of a battery, while exposure to heavy, driving rain could cause it to break altogether.

Homeowners may want to choose an out-of-the-way location for a solar battery where it would not be constantly seen.

It’s worth noting that many solar battery manufacturers have put a greater emphasis on design in recent years. Domestic battery storage systems often would not look out of place with other sleek appliances.

One common choice, a utility room, is an out-of-the-way location which is often the location for a fusebox, so you can keep a battery and an inverter close to it.

It is also likely to have better ventilation, since many utility rooms are in proximity to a rear door in the case of houses, or will have windows or vents for just this purpose.

Garages can be ideal locations for solar batteries due to their excellent ventilation and the likelihood that there is only a low fire risk.

The suitability of a garage will also depend on where it is located. A garage directly attached to a house would be ideal, whereas an outbuilding could present more problems.

It can be recommended to place a battery in an outbuilding as a matter of safety. It would pose less of a fire hazard to your home this way.

However, an outbuilding is likely to be far away from your home’s junction box, meaning that there will be more wiring involved unless the junction box is also there.

Not common for most solar systems, but you might place a battery in the attic if you have a DC coupled system and want to place it close to the solar panels to avoid power loss.

The risk of placing a battery in an attic is that, in an uninsulated attic, temperatures can fluctuate massively from boiling in the summer to freezing in the winter.

This may pose a hazard to the functionality of the storage battery.

Placing a solar battery outdoors can be a very viable option for homeowners, depending on where they live and what the local weather conditions are like.

• Is there frequent heavy rain?
• Is there constant heat and sunshine?
• Is the house near the sea?

Check the Ingress Protection Specifications of a battery to know how safe it is from water or other ingress before thinking about installing it outside.

The rating system for water protection goes as high as 9, but you likely won’t see anything on a battery above IP66.

Homes which are near the sea may also experience more salty air. This salt can potentially cause problems for outdoor electronics in the long run.

Strong sunlight on a constant basis is another risk of installing a battery outdoors. In Ireland, a north-facing location would be best since it would receive the least sunlight year round.

Generally, any battery placed outdoors is subject to greater environmental stresses, which can cause it to wear out more quickly. If you have a viable indoor option, it would be a better choice compared to the outdoors.

The best way to ensure that your solar battery goes in the right place is to discuss the matter with your solar installer.

They will work with you on designing a system that is best suited to your needs and the constraints of your home.