Commercial Battery Storage for Businesses and Farms
If your business generates solar power during the day but buys expensive electricity in the evening, or your solar output is capped by the grid, a battery changes the numbers. BrightEdge Solar designs and installs battery storage for businesses, farms and community buildings. We’re based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and work across the UK.
Call 01482 765063
Why businesses add battery storage
Solar panels generate when the sun is up, which doesn’t always match when you use power. A battery stores the surplus so you can use it later instead of exporting it at a low rate. For most commercial sites the benefits come down to four things:
- Using more of your own solar. Power that would otherwise be exported cheaply is used on site later in the day.
- Working around export limits. Where the network operator limits how much you can export, a battery soaks up generation that would otherwise be curtailed.
- Reducing peak demand. If your tariff or supply capacity penalises short spikes in demand, a battery can cover them.
- Resilience. With the right equipment, chosen essential circuits can keep running during a power cut. This needs designing in from the start.
A battery isn’t right for every site. We’ll tell you if the figures don’t stack up.
How battery storage works with solar (or without it)
Most of our commercial batteries are paired with solar PV. They’re either installed alongside a new array or retrofitted to one that already exists. The inverter and battery management system decide when to charge, when to discharge and when to export, based on your site’s demand.
Batteries can also work without solar. On a time-of-use tariff, a battery can charge when electricity is cheap and discharge when it’s expensive. Whether that pays back depends on your tariff and how you use power, so we look at your actual data first.
Export limits, G99 and batteries
Any system that can export more than 16A per phase needs approval from your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) under the G99 process. In much of Yorkshire and the North East that’s Northern Powergrid. For larger commercial systems the DNO may offer only a limited export capacity, or ask for costly network upgrades.
A battery can make a project viable where export is restricted: you size the solar for your site, store the excess and use an export limitation scheme so the agreed limit is never exceeded. We handle the G99 application as part of the project.
Sizing a commercial battery properly
Battery size shouldn’t be a guess. Where we can, we use:
- your half-hourly consumption data (most commercial meters record this, and your supplier can provide it)
- your solar generation, measured or modelled
- your tariff, including any time-of-use rates or capacity charges
- your site constraints: available space, ventilation, access and the DNO’s export limit
From that we model how much of your solar you’d use with and without storage, and where the battery adds value. We don’t size up for the sake of it. An oversized battery that never fully cycles is money sitting idle.
Systems we install
We install commercial and agricultural storage from manufacturers we know and support, including:
- Sigenergy: modular storage that scales from small business systems to larger stacks
- Fox ESS: we’re a Fox ESS Premier installer, fitting systems such as the H3 Pro three-phase hybrid inverter and EP-series batteries
- Solis: inverters and storage-compatible systems
Which one is right depends on your system size, three-phase supply, backup needs and budget. We’ll explain the options in plain terms and say why we’ve chosen what we recommend.
Adding a battery to existing solar
Already have panels? Many existing commercial systems can take a battery, either AC-coupled (a separate battery inverter) or by replacing an ageing inverter with a hybrid. We’ll check your current inverter, wiring, metering and G99 position, because adding storage may need a notification to, or new application with, the DNO.
We also work on systems installed by other firms. If an existing installation isn’t compliant, we can inspect it, fix it and re-certify it, including fault-finding on batteries that aren’t performing, and we can take over its ongoing maintenance.
Location, safety and installation
Commercial batteries need the right home. We consider:
- a suitable location: plant room, outbuilding, or a wall away from escape routes and heat sources
- ventilation and temperature range
- fire safety, and talking to your insurer before installation
- clear labelling, isolation and safe access for maintenance
Our installs are carried out to MCS standards and the relevant wiring regulations, and we hand over full documentation and monitoring access. Depending on the system, you get remote monitoring through Fox ESS Cloud or SolarEdge monitoring. Every install comes with our 24-month insurance-backed workmanship warranty, plus registered manufacturer warranties on the equipment.
After handover we offer annual maintenance to MCS MIS3002, health-check inspections with string testing and FLIR thermal imaging, panel cleaning, and planned maintenance contracts.
Paying for battery storage
Options typically include buying outright, business finance or leasing. A battery bought outright may qualify for capital allowances. Ask your accountant how this applies to your business. Solar funding and PPAs We’ll give you a clear quote showing the equipment, installation and any DNO costs.
Typical costs
Commercial battery storage typically costs from about £350 to £450 per kWh installed, including the hybrid inverter. As a real example, a 42 kWh battery with a 20 kW hybrid inverter added to an existing system came to about £16,000. All prices exclude VAT, which is charged at 20% on commercial installs. Every site is different, so book a free survey for an accurate quote.
How a BrightEdge project runs
- Initial call and data review: we ask for your bills and half-hourly data.
- Site survey: roof or ground, electrical supply, battery location.
- Design and proposal: system design, expected performance, and costs.
- G99 / DNO application: submitted and managed by us.
- Installation and commissioning: planned around your operations.
- Handover and support: monitoring set-up (Fox ESS Cloud or SolarEdge), documentation, warranty registration and optional planned maintenance.
Recent work
Solar and battery storage for a public-sector training centre. Delivered for a main contractor: a 24.84 kWp rooftop array of 54 JA Solar 460 W panels on a trapezoidal metal roof, mounted on Renusol MetaSole+. It runs through a Fox ESS H3 Pro 15 kW three-phase hybrid inverter with a Fox EP12 11.52 kWh heated battery, so surplus daytime generation is stored for use on site later.
Hybrid solar, battery and whole-site backup – farm-based business, East Riding of Yorkshire
The client wanted battery storage and backup power. Rather than add a battery to their old inverter, we recommended a single hybrid system, with fewer conversion losses and one monitoring app. We installed a 54.24 kWh Sigenergy SigenStor battery (6 x 9.04 kWh, expandable to 108 kWh), two Sigenergy 25 kW three-phase energy controllers and a Sigen backup gateway giving 60 kW whole-building backup. We added 12.15 kWp of Canadian Solar 450 W all-black panels on Renusol MetaSole+ to the site’s existing solar, and later another 8.1 kWp, bringing the total to about 69 kWp. The client has since come back to us for more panels and more batteries.
Barn battery retrofit – agricultural site, East Riding of Yorkshire
With export payments of just 4p/kWh on offer, the client wanted to store their surplus solar rather than sell it cheaply, in one clear, easy-to-monitor system. We replaced their existing Solis 20 kW inverter with a Fox ESS H3 20 kW hybrid, reused the existing cabling, and installed 41.93 kWh of Fox ESS EQ4800 batteries (9 modules) indoors in the farm shed, with new three-phase metering and FoxCloud monitoring. They chose the full battery stack because a smaller battery would have filled in under an hour at peak.
For a larger rooftop project without storage, see our warehouse and industrial solar page.
Frequently asked questions
Is a battery worth it if I already export most of my solar?
Often, yes. Exported power usually earns much less than the price you pay for imported power. A battery lets you use more of your own generation. We’ll model it with your data before you decide.
What size battery does a business need?
It depends on your solar output, when you use power and your tariff. We size from your half-hourly data rather than a rule of thumb.
Can you add a battery to the solar panels we already have?
Usually. We’ll check your existing inverter and connection and tell you the simplest way to do it. We do this for systems installed by other firms too.
Does battery storage need G99 approval?
If the combined system can export above the G98 limit (16A per phase), yes, or the DNO may need to be notified of the change. We handle this.
Will a battery keep us running in a power cut?
Only if the system is designed for backup. Many grid-tied systems shut down in an outage for safety. If backup matters to you, tell us at the start.
Where does the battery go?
Indoors or in a suitable outbuilding, away from escape routes, with the right ventilation. We’ll agree the location at survey.
Do you work outside Yorkshire?
Yes. We’re based in Beverley and install across the UK.
Get a battery storage assessment
Send us a recent bill and, if you have it, your half-hourly data. We’ll tell you honestly whether storage makes sense for your site.
Call 01482 765063 · info@brightedgesolar.com
BrightEdge Solar Ltd, Colonial House, Swinemoor Lane, Beverley HU17 0LS. MCS certified (NIC-601602). RECC member.