Best Batteries for Solar Off-grid

Batteries are sort of the heart of the solar panel system as they store energy. We brought the best batteries for solar off-grid for your solar panel system. When we go for buying batteries, there are always certain factors you need to consider such as how much power your battery can provide and how will it be long-lasting. We will not only tell you the best batteries for solar off-grid, but we will also tell you the factors and specifications you should contemplate before choosing. The batteries we have mentioned are based on the following factors;

Comparison of Factors for Best Batteries for Solar Off-grid

There are many factors other than cost such as manufacturer, Life, Warranty, efficiency, capacity, power, Dept of discharge of a battery, etc.

Manufacturer, Lifespan & Warranty

Manufacturer: Batteries are being produced and manufactured by many organizations and companies like automotive, tech startups, so it depends on your priorities what you need. Automotive companies are the manufacturer with a long history of manufacturing some products while tech can provide the revolutionary things.

Lifespan: The lifespan of a battery is the power of holding a charge for maximum time. It is the cycling process as it gets charged and gets drained. You replenish it and empty it, so in this process battery’s power of keeping charges gets lessened over time. So buy the battery having a warranty for a long time.

Warranty: The warranty of a battery is defined as it guarantees you that your battery will cycle a certain time i.e. it will cycle 7000 times or 10 years at 70% or 80%, so you can simply say it the long lastingness of a battery.

Capacity

The capacity of a battery is the amount of electricity (electric charges) it stores. So you can say it is the size of your battery. We normally measure it in Kilowatt-hours (KWh). So for extra capacity, you can set more than the battery.

Power

The power of a battery is how much electricity it is providing at a moment. We call it the battery’s power rating. The power rating is delivering charges at an instant. However, we usually measure in Kilowatt (KW).

The relation between Power & Capacity

A battery with high capacity & low power can run some appliances for a long time, but a battery with low capacity & high power can power up your all appliances, but for a short time, so it is up to you what you choose.

Efficiency

The efficiency of a battery is the output of your input. It means you charged your battery and store 10KW, and it gives you back 8KW or 9 KW, then it has 80% or 90% efficiency respectively, so efficiency is one of the considerable factors.

Depth of discharge (DoD)

And there are many others like cost and voltage. The more you invest, the more you get good products.

Best Batteries for solar off-grid

Lead-Acid Batteries

Lead Acid batteries have remained a favourite for an off-grid system, they are reliable, time-tested and cheap. They have a short lifespan and lower DoD relatively than other types of batteries. On the other hand, they are also cheaper than other types. So the homeowners want to go to Off-grid, it is a good option for them.

Flooded lead-acid batteries are the cheapest, but they need more maintenance than others and can store large amounts for backup. These are not that long-lasting that others are.

Lithium-ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are more compatible and lighter when we compare them with lithium-ion batteries. Upcoming batteries are using lithium-ion chemical composition. They also have higher DoD and lifespan if we compare them with lead-acid batteries, but the thing is lead-acid batteries are cheaper than lithium ions batteries. Lithium has a more good recharge time and cycle rate than others i.e lead-acid and AGM batteries. These batteries efficient but cost more. They come up with their saving.

Saltwater Batteries

Saltwater is a kind of newcomer in the battery industry. It relies on saltwater electrolysis rather than relying on heavy materials. As we know, other batteries we have mentioned above use heavy materials. The good thing about this sort of battery is easy recycling. As we mentioned, they are newcomers, that is why they are untested.

Nickel iron Batteries

These batteries have recently gained popularity as people came to know about their durability and cost-effectiveness. These batteries come with good recycling and DoD. The bad thing about them is slow charging and discharging. They also need good routine maintenance. Their lifespan is also well-performing, they usually give 10,000+ cycles at 75% DoD.

AGM Batteries

AGM batteries are good in the short term. They require less maintenance as compared to lithium but cost more than that. So these batteries are good for high power appliances.

• Click here to learn more about Deep Cycle Batteries.

Read more regarding Batteries, 10 Factors to Consider when Choosing Location of Solar Batteries.