Comparing to solar panels, many user`s attention on battery bank is less. However, the importance of battery bank is usually ignore by most of users. A solar battery bank ensures you always have power by making it possible to store solar energy for use during these times. In today`s article, let`s look at how to select the perfect bank for you.
What is a solar battery bank?
A solar battery bank is a piece of equipment that allows you to store some of the energy captured by your solar panels and use it when your solar system cannot generate enough power for your home. Your battery backup makes it possible to gain independence from the power company, provide power for yourself and your neighbors during a blackout or emergency, and maximize the environmental benefits of going solar by reducing the power you need to draw from the grid.
What specifications does my solar battery need?
There are several factors to consider when choosing your bank:
- How Much of Your Home Do You Want to Power?
If you want to be able to power your entire home from the backup, you need a battery with a high power rating.
- Do You Need to Run Energy-Intensive Appliances?
Appliances that require a lot of power to start up, such as a sump pump, require a battery backup with a high rating for instantaneous power.
- How Long Do You Want to Run on Battery Power?
If your goal is always to have power available, choose a battery with a high capacity.
- How Important Is Efficiency?
A higher roundtrip efficiency rating helps you get the most out of every kilowatt of solar energy your system generates.
- Is Space a Concern?
A battery with a small footprint is essential for recreational vehicles and other small spaces.
- Is Battery Life Important to You?
Choose models with a long lifespan if you want a battery that can cycle more times without needing replacement.
- Do You Need to Have the Safest Solar Batteries?
All solar batteries must meet specific safety standards. To purchase a solar battery bank with the highest possible safety rating, choose batteries that have been tested and certified to standards beyond the minimum.
What do all these terms mean?
Evaluating solar storage options involves a lot of technical jargon. These are some of the terms you are likely to encounter.
Power rating
The power rating of a solar battery is the kilowatts of power that the battery can produce at one time. This rating is helpful to determine which appliances you can run and how many you can run simultaneously time when using the battery. The power requirements of various appliances are presented as either watts or Amps. Solar batteries are usually rated in kilowatts, which is thousands of watts. To convert watts to kilowatts, take the number of watts on the label and divide by 1,000.
Battery size
Battery size refers to the usable storage capacity of the battery. This is the total amount of electricity that the battery in your solar battery bank can store and then supply to your home. Battery size is expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The number of kWh a battery can store tells you how long your battery can power the various electrical systems in your home. A kWh is the energy it takes to run a 1,000-watt appliance for an hour. To calculate a kWh, check your appliance’s capacity label for wattage and divide that number by 1,000. This gives you the number of kilowatts your appliance needs to run for one hour.
Roundtrip efficiency
Roundtrip efficiency measures how much energy your solar battery bank loses when you put energy into or take energy out of your battery. Your battery’s roundtrip efficiency indicates how much of every unit of electricity you store in your battery is usable.
Battery Lifetime
The lifetime of your battery is measured in expected years of operation, anticipated cycles, and expected throughput. Throughput measures the amount of electricity you can expect to be able to pass through your battery over its lifetime. Cycles measure how many times you can charge and empty your battery. To calculate your battery’s expected lifespan, divide the throughput by the usable capacity. This gives you how many cycles you can achieve before replacing the battery. Divide the number of cycles by 365 days to get the number of years your battery should last if you run one cycle per day.
Safety
All solar battery bank batteries are tested to meet the minimum safety requirements. However, some are tested to ensure they go beyond the minimum standards. You can check the spec sheet of the batteries you are considering to determine which safety and rating certifications they have.
There’s no simple answer to which solar battery bank is best for you.
You must consider all the various factors and choose based on your budget, needs, and preferences. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it by yourself. We at SOLARPARTS are ready to help you customize your solar system. Download our free solar battery guide, or contact us to find out more!
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