Ever had the lights flicker during a storm and wondered whether a solar battery backup would keep your home or commercial building in or around Murfreesboro, TN, running? We hear that question a lot, especially from property owners who are tired of outages and unpredictable electric bills. Battery storage can be a great upgrade, but the best answer depends on your loads, your utility rules, and what you want the system to do on day one. In this guide, we’ll talk a little bit about how solar batteries work, which benefits matter most in TN, and the decision points we use as a local solar energy company when sizing and installing systems.
Solar battery storage is a way to capture excess solar production during the day and use it later, such as at night or during an outage. When we pair a battery with a solar panel installation, we can build a system that supports three goals: backup power, better self-use of your solar energy, and less dependence on the grid. The easiest way to think about it is this: solar panels make energy, a battery stores energy, and your home or business uses that stored energy when the sun is not doing the work.
Key parts of a basic solar-plus-battery setup include the following:
Manufacturer spec sheets are the best place to confirm battery output and storage, and we use those numbers in every design. From there, we design the battery around your actual loads, your roof space, and what you want to keep running when the grid goes down.
Most people in Murfreesboro ask us the same thing: “What will a battery really do for me?” Here are the biggest benefits we see for homeowners and commercial property owners:
Stored solar power can keep families and businesses running through long outages. Outages are the moment a battery earns its keep. Lights, refrigeration, internet gear, medical devices, and security systems matter more when the grid is down than on a normal day.
When we size a backup system, we start with what you truly need, then scale up if a whole-building backup makes sense. We consider the following:
If you want HVAC backup, well pumps, or large motors, we plan battery power (kW) and starting surge very carefully. That’s where one battery often turns into two, or we use load controls to keep the system stable during backup.
Energy independence is really about control. A battery lets you use more of the solar you generate, rather than exporting it at a lower credit and buying it back later at your retail rate.
This is especially relevant in TN. The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Dispersed Power Production program pays for exported energy at TVA’s avoided cost, which differs from full retail net metering, so keeping more solar on-site can be a practical win for many properties.
For electric vehicle (EV) owners, pairing batteries with solar-powered charging can also keep charging available during an outage, as long as we design the backup panel and charger correctly.
A solar battery is not “one-size-fits-all.” The right setup depends on your building, your goals, and the rules you have to play by. What follows are the checks we run before we recommend anything.
Our decision checklist (the same one we use in design meetings):
For safety, we pay close attention to installation location and spacing. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855 provides prescriptive guidance often referenced by inspectors, such as separation distances of 3 feet from doors and windows in many residential installations, unless the system has documentation supporting smaller spacing.
On the incentives side, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) page updated in January 2026 states the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit isn’t available for residential property placed in service after December 31, 2025, so homeowners planning a 2026 install should treat the math very differently than they would have a year earlier.
Commercial property owners can still qualify for federal incentives in many cases, but the rules can vary depending on how the project is structured and whether prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements apply.
Battery lifespan is less about a magic number and more about how the warranty is written, how hard the battery cycles, and how well the system is commissioned. We read warranty documents with clients and translate them into plain English, because the details decide your long-term value.
For most properties, the decision comes down to two questions: “What do I get during an outage?” and “What does this do for my electric bills over the next decade?” We run both scenarios so you can pick the system that matches your priorities.
If you’re asking whether a solar battery is worth it in the Murfreesboro, TN, area, the best answer starts with your outage plan and your utility rules. A 2025 Stanford analysis found that many households can cut electric bills by about 15% on average with solar-plus-storage, and about 63% could meet roughly half their electricity needs during local or regional blackouts.
We’re happy to review your loads, solar panel installation options, and backup goals, and then map out a battery setup that fits your property in TN. Contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation for your solar power needs.
Not always. Solar panels cut your bills on their own, but batteries add backup power and let you use more of your home energy from the sun.
Prices vary by battery size and installer, and many home batteries cost several thousand dollars. Add installation and any inverter work. Payback often runs 5–15 years, based on energy prices and local incentives.
It can be, if you want backup power or lower energy bills. Solar battery storage holds extra power from solar panels, so you use less from the grid.
Yes, many systems give backup power for key loads like lights and the fridge, like an emergency kit for your house. How long it runs depends on battery capacity, so pick a size that fits your needs.
Address: 231 W Rutherford Blvd
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Phone: 615-237-1737
Business Hours:
Mon - Fri: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sat & Sun: Closed
