Solar Batteries

Solar storage batteries are an essential component of any home or commercial solar power system. They store electricity generated by solar panels or wind turbines for periods when there isn’t sufficient sun or wind to generate electricity for immediate use. These can be purchased as part of one of our solar power kits or on their own should you require a replacement for your current system.

How much storage?

There are number of different solar batteries, each with different capabilities for use in different environments and to meet different purposes. Requirements with regard to temperature, mounting and ventilation will differ depending on the type of solar battery used.

Solar battery types

AGM Batteries are so called because of the Absorbed Glass Mats that are contained between the plates. Solar AGM batteries are relatively resilient and can withstand a fair amount of transport. They have a number of advantages over other solar battery types, for instance they are sealed, which means that they are maintenance free, and as they are stable they don’t crack or leak corrosive fumes. In addition, they lose less power (low discharge rate) when not in use than other solar powered batteries.

Silica Gel is added to Gel Batteries to transform the acid within the solar battery into a stable solid state. Gel solar batteries are perfectly safe for use as even in the unlikely event that they break the acid is never spilt or leaked. As with the AGM solar powered battery, Gel batteries have a slow discharge rate and recover quickly from an extended period of discharge, which makes then ideal if they are only going to be used on a semi-regular basis.

If you want to go a more economical route, however, and the battery is going to be placed where any potential leakage will not cause any harm, it might be a better idea to consider deep cycle solar batteries that can still be efficiently used after they have been discharged to around 80%.

Solar power battery storage time

When it comes to home solar power systems the average storage time for a solar battery is usually estimated at 3 times your daily storage usage. So, ideally you should get 3 days of power from your solar powered batteries.

Solar power batteries enable you to maintain your lifestyle on your renewable energy system. In order to make a significant ecological and economic difference with solar panels and the use of solar generated power, a solar battery is indispensable. Kick off your renewable energy drive with Sustainable.co.za and see the difference.