As demand for clean energy increases, solar energy is clearly more prevalent than wave and wind power as high-power load leveling. When considering installing a solar power system, the question arises of the best battery for solar power generation. What is your answer? Let's take a look at the common battery types first.
Flooded Lead Acid Battery
As one of the most common used battery types for off-grid setups, flooded lead acid batteries are wet cell batteries, in need of upright placement and well-ventilated environment to prevent leaking.
Pros: Inexpensive upfront cost, safe, and reliable
Cons: Rather large, prone to suffer from corrosion, regular maintenance, and monitoring
Gel Batteries
Compared with the other battery types, Gel Battery is not a preferable choice because this is made up of fumed silica making the cells sturdier.
Pros: No leaking when damaged, durable, excellent life cycles, shock resistance, vibration resistance, extreme temperature resistance
Cons: Narrow charging profiles, prone to damage when charged improperly, high price with medium amp-hour capacity.
Lithium-Ion/Lifepo4 Batteries
Although lithium-ion or LiFePO4 battery is up to 4 times as expensive as the other batteries for solar system, it has superior performance for the price. Check the performance comparisons of different battery chemistry below for more details.
Pros: high capacity, long life cycles, small cell packages, lightweight design, safe and stable, nearly no maintenance
Cons: High price, safety vents are required to prevent uncontrolled explosion in case of short circuit or abuse
Since larger batteries can hold more energy, LiFePO4 batteries are the better choice for users who want to take their home off the grid or power as many appliances as possible. In addition, lithium solar cells charge and discharge very efficiently, which optimizes the power generated by the solar panels and retains power for a longer period of time. If you are looking for the best bang for your buck when investing in solar cells, Lithium-ion solar cells are the way to go.