Solar and battery guides
A solar installation, broken down
See the equipment, materials and work behind an example home installation. Your system is designed around your property and the appliances you want to run.
An example you can picture
20 panels. One inverter. One battery.
Inverter
BatteryIllustrative layout only. Equipment capacities and quantities are confirmed after assessing your home; this is not a completed project or a fixed package.
| Device | Example quantity | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panels | 20 | Generate electricity from sunlight. Panel output and roof space determine the final array. |
| Inverter | 1 | Manages solar, battery and grid power. Sized for the loads that need to run together. |
| Battery | 1 | Stores energy for selected loads. Capacity depends on consumption and the backup time you need. |
One battery means one storage unit in this example, not a promise of whole-home or overnight backup.
The materials behind the installation
More than the main devices: these are the connections, supports and protections that complete the system.
Solar and electrical cable
DC solar cable, AC house wiring and battery cables, sized for the design.
Fuse boxes and distribution boards
Enclosures for circuit protection and distribution; separate boxes where the design requires them.
Breakers, fuses and disconnects
AC/DC circuit protection and safe isolation, with ratings selected for the equipment.
MC4-type connectors and terminals
Compatible solar connectors, cable lugs and battery terminals matched to the equipment.
Cable tubing and conduit
Protective tubing, trunking, junction boxes and cable glands along the cable routes.
Mounting rails and roof fixings
Rails, clamps, roof attachments and suitable sealing for the mounting points.
Grounding and surge protection
Grounding conductors, bonding connections and surge protection as specified in the design.
Battery supports and finishing parts
Battery mounting or rack, communication cables, cable clips, fixings and circuit labels.
The final materials list specifies quantities and ratings. Some protection may be integrated into the equipment; separate components depend on the design. Trenching, roof repairs and electrical upgrades are assessed separately.
The work that brings it together
Assess and plan
Review the roof, electrical installation, cable routes and backup priorities.
Mount and connect
Install the supports and equipment, route cables and connect the agreed circuits.
Configure and test
Set up the inverter and controls, then test the installation and backup operation.
Explain and hand over
Show you how the system works, which loads have backup and how to use monitoring.
Smarter control, smaller battery needs
During the day
Solar → home + battery
Use available solar for household demand and battery charging.
Overnight
Grid → air conditioning
Run heavy loads from ICE while reserving the battery for essential backup circuits.
With compatible equipment and the right controls, this approach can reduce battery capacity and upfront cost compared with backing up heavy loads all night. Grid-only appliances stop in an outage, and grid electricity still has a cost.