Can I use Base as an overnight solar battery?
Base is not a solar storage battery — but for most solar homeowners, it's actually the smarter financial choice.
How Base works with solar
A Base battery is a grid-balancing battery, not a self-consumption system. Rather than storing your solar energy to use at night, Base connects you to the grid.
If you're a solar overproducer — meaning your panels generate more than your home uses — Base can put that excess energy to work by redistributing it to the grid, earning you credits in the process.
What about overnight energy?
Traditional solar-plus-storage systems are designed to charge during the day and discharge into your home at night. Base doesn't work this way. If overnight self-consumption is your primary goal, Base isn't designed for that use case.
Why Base is still the better choice
Here's the trade-off worth considering:
Lower upfront cost – Standalone solar battery systems can cost $10,000–$15,000+. With Base, you lease the battery month to month — no large capital outlay, no worrying about depreciation as the technology ages. You're always on a current system.
Reliable backup power – Base batteries are designed to keep you powered through 97% of outages, so your home is protected during outages regardless of grid support activity.
Earn on your overproduction – If your solar panels produce more electricity than your home uses, Base's grid redistribution puts that energy to work and generates value for you.
For many solar homeowners, the combination of a lower-cost system and dependable backup outweighs the benefits of overnight storage — especially when the savings on your electricity rate are factored in.