Solar Battery System Buying Guide

You can draw power from your solar storage battery to operate your lights, appliances, and water heater at night, during cold days, and even during grid outages when you are left without power. The technology creating solar storage batteries is constantly improving. New materials to create the best possible battery systems. How long do solar storage batteries last? If you want to learn how solar storage batteries work, read on.

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Technology

The answer depends upon how the battery is used. A high-performance battery, such as the deep cycle kind that lasts for decades, may not last as long as one of the more efficient deep discharge types. A high-performance battery, though, will operate for many years while a lower-end type may only last two or three years at most.

As you use your solar panels, the number of total hours the battery discharges per day is dependent on how much of the sun’s rays you can absorb. It also depends on how long it takes for the cells to charge fully. The number of hours your solar panels charge is called the “hours of use.” The amount of kilowatt-hours (kWh) in a rechargeable battery is equal to the sum of the times the kilowatt-hours divided by the number of hours the battery is used. Your calculator will tell you how many kWh your batteries have since it uses to multiply the number of kWh by the number of hours the battery is used.

Can you have both storage systems in one house? Yes, – you can! Some new solar home system kits include a dual battery system with an inverter built into the design. The inverter will convert the DC power from the solar panels into AC power to be used in your household. This makes it so you can have power for all of your appliances at all times.

Discharge Cycles

How long do discharge cycles last? Most batteries have a lifespan of about five years. The time it takes to get to this fifth anniversary of being charged is called the “discharge life.” Of course, how long the battery will retain its charge is influenced by how it was initially charged. Newer batteries have shorter discharge lives because they were designed specifically for quick recharging. A discharged battery that has been stored over time will lose its ability to hold a charge, so it should be replaced sooner than later.

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Conversion Process

How does a solar panel system convert the energy in the sun into usable electricity? Batteries are designed to store electrical power when sunlight is collected by the solar panels and then discharge this electricity when the sun goes down. In the storage phase, the batteries are charged and discharged numerous times per day. When you purchase a battery, you should see a component called the inverter.

Benefits

Why would you want to buy a backup battery for my home? Most household batteries are designed to only hold a charge for a few months. If you have a home battery system that charges your batteries when you have sun, you will never run out of storage space. On the other hand, a separate storage unit will allow you to “stock up” on power when you need it.

Do I need to know how much battery capacity each type of system holds? No – the battery capacity is typically determined on the manufacturers’ websites. Some grid-connected systems can hold up to 5 hours of charge (as long as there is no extreme weather). The more storage capacity the solar system has, the longer it will stay charged. When choosing a battery system, be sure to factor in the number of hours it will take to recover the battery’s charge, which will affect the performance and life of your solar generator.

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