With environmental conservation becoming a major concern, more and more people are switching towards greener methods of power generation. A lot of households are moving on from grid based power systems to in-home solar setups.
Some of the best features of solar panel systems is that they are cheaper, greener and safer to work with. Even though they work great in the long run, and are very efficient and durable in general, setting up a solar powered system can be a bit of a hassle.
Most setups consist of a battery, solar panel, a charge controller and an inverter. All of these components are essential and can affect the overall efficiency and performance of your setup in different ways. The most important part, besides the solar panels of course, is probably the battery. Choosing a good and durable battery can be of great benefit in the long run and thus adequate care must be taken while choosing a battery for a solar setup.
The type of batteries generally used with a solar setup are deep cycle batteries. Unlike your car batteries that are designed to pump out a lot of power rapidly, deep cycle batteries are designed in such a way that they store electricity for longer periods and discharge slowly and steadily.
Such batteries help you keep the devices running through the night when your solar panels cannot provide power for your home appliances.
The best things about deep cycle batteries are that they come in all sorts of shape and size and give you a wide variety of options to choose from which includes the ones that can be easily revived. You can make an informed decision based on the intensity of your applications to get the best deals out of your batteries.
AGM batteries are normally a better choice for home setups as they provide better capacity than traditional flooded batteries and do not even require a very intense maintenance.
Solar setups further can be of two types based on the applications. They can either be a DC setup where all of your appliances run on 12V or 24V and the battery directly powers the appliances; or an AC setup where the inerter converts the DC current into AC current. Each has their advantages and disadvantages.
Things to keep in Mind Before Buying a Deep Cycle Battery For Solar Setups
A good battery will be compatible and provide a good service with both types of setups without hassle. Although there are certain things you should keep in mind before buying a battery for your solar setup.
One of the most important things is to calculate the exact amount of power you may require and then buy a deep cycle battery accordingly. Deep cycle batteries are expensive and this small step can greatly help you find the best possible battery for your needs. You may also want to consult a professional for this step or the overall installation procedure if you are unsure.
Secondly, deep cycle batteries come in all sorts of price ranges and if you want something powerful and durable, try to look for a product that has proper warranty associated with it. Batteries with proper warranties tend to be a bit more expensive but they are a good investment as cheap batteries are prone to failure and not something you’d want in a domestic setup.
Lastly, make sure that you get the best battery type. We recommend that you go with the AGM battery type but Gel and Li-Ion batteries are also popular choices.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed a few things you must look out for before buying a battery for your solar setup. We hope that this would help you find a good battery for your solar setup.