Selecting the Right Solar Battery for Your Residential Solar System
There are a number of demands that solar system batteries have to address in order to make them viable for residential use, such as heavy cycling, irregular recharging, and unstable grid energy.
And when selecting the right solar battery for your residential solar system, there are factors that you have to consider yourself, such as cost, lifecycle, safety, installation, and maintenance.
Lead Acid
Tested and proven globally for decades, deep cycle, lead acid-batteries have long been used in renewable energy and are relied upon in off-grid applications.
Typically, these batteries cost half the price of lithium-ion.
Commonly, the AGMs batteries that are accessible in the marketplace are not built for deep cycling but are for standby applications or dual-purpose such as emergency back-ups only.
However, there are new AGMs designed for deep cycle with better performance and total energy output. Compared to gel batteries, these new AGMs are better choices for renewable energy applications.
It is hard to gauge when to change these batteries, as battery life depends on its installation set-up and maintenance.
The battery enclosure needs to be ventilated to prevent hydrogen gases from accumulating to dangerous levels. The flooded lead-acid battery must be regularly replaced because the electrolytes that submerge the battery plates evaporate when charged.
AGM and gel batteries, on the other hand, do not need much maintenance as they are recombinant. They alter hydrogen and oxygen internally into water.
In addition, they can be applied in any position except upside down since they have no free acid inside.
Another benefit is the ability to easily set-up the batteries considering that solar applications are often located at hard-to-reach areas.
