What is a solar battery?
Solar batteries are responsible for storing the electrical energy produced by the solar cells. By adding this battery in solar systems, the electrical energy of solar cells can be used during the night or on cloudy days. The most important feature of these batteries is their long life. These types of batteries can last 5 to 15 years and during this time they perform at their best to store the energy produced by solar cells.
Why solar batteries?
One of the sources of energy that has been used in the last twenty years is the sun. The sun can produce about 1000 joules of energy per square meter of earth per second. Therefore, by collecting this energy, the energy needed for many tasks can be provided. But to implement this goal and convert sunlight into electrical energy, solar cells are used. A solar cell is an electronic panel that directly converts sunlight into electrical energy. In fact, the set of solar cells and their equipment is called a solar system.
The disadvantage of solar systems is that as long as there is sunlight, the energy produced by it can be used. But at night when there is no sunlight, there is no way to receive this energy. At such a time, solar batteries come to the rescue.
These batteries actually store the energy received during the day. In this way, the energy of solar systems can be used during the night as well. In general, solar batteries are responsible for energy storage in this system.
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A solar photovoltaic system works
Types of solar batteries
There are three types of solar batteries. The first type of battery is lead acid, which is one of the oldest types of batteries. The second type is lithium batteries that are produced with newer technology. The third type is salt batteries. In fact, this model is the latest and most updated battery produced for solar systems.
What is meant by the Deep Cycle in solar batteries?
One of the parameters that is discussed about the battery is Deep Cycle. This term means the ability to discharge the battery up to its rated capacity. In solar systems, it is possible to discharge the battery up to 80% on cloudy days; Therefore, the battery must supply the load in this mode.
How is the lifespan of a solar battery determined?
These batteries usually last between 5 and 15 years, and if you take care of them properly, they will last even longer. In fact, extreme cold and heat are the factors that cause the loss of life of these batteries. So try to always keep the solar battery at a normal temperature. Solar batteries can be charged during the day by the solar cell and during the night by the charger.
Calculating the time that one or more solar batteries installed in a solar power system are able to perform the task and provide the required energy is not very accurate. Perhaps the reason is that it is impossible to predict the number of times the batteries will be discharged because any guess in this regard depends on their maintenance conditions and also how the entire system is used throughout the year. However, with a reasonable approximation, it is possible to estimate the durability and useful life of the battery or batteries used in a system. This prediction helps the user to identify the type and size of solar batteries needed.
In the first step, prepare a list of the daily energy consumption of your system. In the next step, consider the problem of backwardness. For example, the goal is to provide the required energy for 5 days. By multiplying 695 watt hours by 5 days, we come to the conclusion that the system should be designed to be able to store 3475 watt hours of energy. In practice, instead of rating batteries in watt-hours, they measure their capacity in amp-hours. To convert watt-hours to ampere-hours, it is enough to divide the number of watt-hours by the battery voltage. If the design is based on a 12-volt battery or batteries, to get ampere-hours, it is enough to divide the number 3475 by 12 volts to get 290 ampere-hours. If we use two 12 volt batteries together and design the system based on 24 volts, by dividing the number 3475 by 24, we will reach the number of 145 amp hours.
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Portable solar panel and solar inverters
Last word
In the end, regarding solar batteries, it should be said that these batteries are one of the most important components of solar systems, and storing solar energy by them is a great step in the exploitation of natural resources. However, they still have a long way to go.
We are a well known solar system manufacturer and supplier in Oman so If you consider buying and installing solar panels or you want to get solar batteries for your solar system, feel free to contact Palmore International solar experts for more info.