Battery Working
Battery Working
All stand-alone and utility interface PV systems require battery storage. Photovoltaic modules charge the batteries during daylight hours
and the batteries supply the power as its needed, often at night and during cloudy weather. Utility intertie PV systems supply power directly
to the utility grid: no battery storage is needed, however some inverters now incorporate features which make battery use an option.
The two most common types of rechargeable batteries in use are lead-acid and alkaline. Lead acid batteries have plates made of lead,
mixed with other materials, submerged in a sulfuric acid solution.
Alkaline batteries can be either nickel-cadmium or nickel-iron batteries. They have plates made of nickel submerged in a solution of
potassium hydroxide. We do not list these battery types in this catalogue because of their very high cost. But because these have up to
five times the usable life of lead acid batteries, we can supply the nickel cadmium type if requested. Nickel iron batteries require higher
peak voltages to become properly charged than photovoltaic modules will produce, therefore we do not sell this battery type.
Battery Size
The size of battery bank you'll need will depend on the storage capacity required, the maximum discharge rate, the maximum charge
rate, and the minimum temperature at which the battery will be used. When designing a power system, all of these factors are looked at
and the one requiring the largest capacity will dictate battery size.
Temperature has a significant effect on how well lead-acid batteries will perform. At 400 F a battery in good condition will have 75% of its
rated capacity, and at 00 F the capacity drops to 50%.
The storage capacity of a battery, the amount of electrical energy it can hold, is usually expressed in ampere hours. If one amp is used for
100 hours, then 100 amp-hours have been used, like wise if 100 amps is used for one hour. A battery in a PV power system should have
sufficient amp hour capacity to supply needed power during the longest expected period of cloudy weather. A lead acid battery should be
sized at least 20% larger than this amount, but a ni-cad battery can be sized to exactly this amount. If there is a source of backup power,
such as a stand-by generator with a battery charger, the battery bank does not have to be sized for worst-case weather conditions, but
still be sufficient for three days with a 50% discharge.
Lead-Acid Batteries
Lead-acid batteries are the most common in PV systems because their initial cost is much lower and because they are readily available
nearly anywhere in the world. There are many different sizes and designs of this battery type, but the most important designation is whether
they are deep cycle batteries or shallow cycle batteries.
Shallow cycle batteries, like the type used as starting batteries in automobiles, machinery and `Cat` batteries, are designed to supply a
large amount of power (current) in a short time and stand mild overcharging without losing electrolyte. Unfortunately, none of these can
tolerate being deeply discharged. If they are repeatedly discharged more than 20%, their life will be very short. These batteries are not
a good choice for a PV system.
Deep cycle batteries are designed to be repeatedly discharged by as much as 80% of their capacity so they are a good choice for PV
power systems. Even though they are designed to withstand deep cycling, these batteries will have a longer life if the cycles are not below
50%. All lead-acid batteries will fail prematurely if they are not recharged completely after each cycle. Letting a lead-acid battery stay in a
discharged condition for many days at a time will cause sulfation of the positive plates and a permanent loss of capacity.
Sealed deep-cycle batteries are maintenance free. They never need additions of water or an equalizing charge. They cannot freeze or
spill, so they can be mounted in any position. But, they do not give as good of service, nor do they last as long as wet plate, unsealed,
liquid electrolyte battery types. Sealed battery types require very accurate regulation to prevent overcharge and over discharge. Either
condition will drastically shorten their lives. We recommend sealed batteries only for remote, unattended power systems.
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Battery Information
A good quality temperature compensated float-tube hydrometer, like item #51-870 on page 51, is the most accurate device for measuring
specific gravity in a battery to find its true state-of-charge if you measure the electrolyte from near the battery plates. Unfortunately, you
can only measure the electrolyte at the top of the battery.
When a battery is being charged or discharged, a chemical reaction takes place at the border between the surface of the lead plates and
the electrolyte surrounding them. During charging, the electrolyte changes from water to sulfuric acid, and becomes stronger as energy
enters the battery. As the acid becomes stronger the specific gravity (or weight of the electrolyte) will rise. It takes several hours for the
electrolyte to mix thoroughly inside all of the cells in a battery so that you can get an accurate reading at the top of the battery. Always try
to take readings after a long period of no charge or discharge. A battery that has just become fully charged or is still under charge will
have hydrogen and oxygen gas bubbles in the electrolyte and will result in a lower specific gravity reading than if the battery has been at
rest for awhile. See chart below.
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Battery Information
Battery Interconnection Wiring
Lead acid batteries are commonly available in 2, 6 and 12 volt configurations. They can be wired in series to increase voltage or in parallel
to increase amp-hour capacity. A combination of series and parallel connections may be used to achieve proper capacity and voltage in larger
systems. Battery cables bolted to lead posts should be tightened to approximately 10 foot-pounds with a wrench. It is a good idea to clean battery
posts and cable terminals at least once each year and retighten the bolts to the proper torque.
Battery near full charge while charging 14.4 to 15.0 28.8 to 30.0
Battery near full discharge while charging 12.3 to 13.2 24.6 to 26.4
Battery fully charged with light load 12.4 to 12.7 24.8 to 26.4
Battery fully charged with heavy load 11.5 to 12.5 23.0 to 25.0
No charge or discharge for 6 hrs - 100% full 12.8 25.6
No charge or discharge for 6 hrs - 80% full 12.5 25.0
No charge or discharge for 6 hrs - 40% full 11.9 23.8
No charge or discharge for 6 hrs - 20% full 11.6 23.2
No charge or discharge for 6 hrs - fully discharged 11.4 22.8
Battery near full discharge while discharging 10.2 to 11.2 20.4 to 22.4
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Battery Sizing Worksheet
Use this worksheet to de-
termine the total size and Use this worksheet to determine the size of battery(s) required for your system.
capacity, in ampere hours,
of the battery or battery 1. Solar array amp hours per day required from
bank required for your power Systems Load Worksheet, on Page 8, line 9.
system.
2. Number of continuous cloudy days expected in your area. (at least 3)
Battery size is measured
in AMP-HOURS. This is a 3. Multiply line 1 by line 2.
measure of battery capacity,
or the total amount of electri- 4. Divide line 3 by 0.5 to maintain a 50% reserve for extended battery life.
cal energy it will hold when If no special condition, skip to line 10.
fully charged.
Battery voltage is deter- Special Condition #1: Heavy electrical load
mined by the number of
“cells” connected together 5. Maximum amperage that will be drawn by the loads
for a period of 10 minutes or more.
is series. All individual lead-
acid battery cells have a 6. Discharge rate of battery. If unknown, check with battery supplier.
nominal output of 2 volts.
Actual cell voltage will vary 7. Multiply line 5 by line 6.
from about 1.7 volts when
discharged to 2.4volts when Special Condition #2: High Charge Current.
fully char-ged.
12 volt lead-acid batter- 8. Maximum output amperage of the PV array or other charging source.
ies are made with 6 series
9. Multiply line 8 by 10.0 hours.
connected 2 volt cells. 6
volt batteries are made with 10. Amp hours from line 4, 7 or 9, whichever is largest.
3 series connected 2 volt
cells. The operating voltage 11. If you are using a lead acid battery, select the multiplier below which
of a battery is determined by corresponds to the battery's wintertime average ambient temperature.
connecting any number of 2
volt cells in series to reach
the desired end voltage Battery Temperature Multiplier
If the battery has a large
800F/26.70C 1.00
capacity, it will be made with
2 volt cells, or mul- tiples of 700F/21.20C 1.04
2 volt cells, inside a single
case. Small capacity batter- 600F/15.60C 1.11
ies are made with all of the
2 volt cells inside a single 500F/10.00C 1.19
case.
Connecting batteries to- 400F/4.40C 1.30
gether in parallel increa- ses
300F/1.10C 1.40
the total amp-hour capacity,
but the operating voltage 200F/-6.70C 1.59
remains con- 0stant.
We provide a complete 12. Multiply line 11 by line 10. This is your optimum battery size.
and comprehensive set of
battery maintenance and 13. Amp-hours of battery chosen:
care instructions with all bat- Yuasa (model & amp hours), (85T-19=960 amp hour)
teries we sell. Crown (GC 225=225amphour) etc. from page 47 & 48.
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Yuasa High-Capacity Deep-Cycle
Batteries
Yuasa deep cycle batteries are the best quality storage batteries for use in home power
systems. These are available in 2 volt and 4 volt cell configurations, with two battery
heights of 15.79” and 22.43” to choose from. TrueAmp batteries have heavy duty, high
capacity tubular cells. Tubular plate construction allows over twice the active plate surface
to contact the liquid electrolyte as does a conventional deep cycle battery. TrueAmp
batteries can be series connected to achieve an end voltage of 12, 24, 32, 36, 48 or 110
volts DC. TrueAmp batteries can withstand over 1500 deep cycles to 50% of capacity
and have the following features:
• Tubular plate design puts over twice as much plate surface in contact with the
electrolyte than with conventional battery cells which gives a more efficient
energy transfer and tends too firmly hold active materials in place and solve
the problem of plate shedding which ensures continued high capacity and
maximum life.
• Rubber bushings surround the terminals and protects from cover breakage
and keeps the plates safe from external shocks and vibration.
• One-Touch pop-up transparent cell cap with acid level floats are used for
ready indication of acid level and for easy and simpler electrolyte ”topping-up”
and maintenance. The cell caps also serve as charge emission recirculators,
returning gases and electrolyte mist back into the battery instead of into the
environment.
• The battery case and cover are made of high impact-resistant polypropylene
and heat sealed for perfect leak-proof cell integrity. The 4 volt battery come
encased in 3/4” plywood protective boxes. The 2 volt cells are available
at slightly less than 1/2 the cost of 4 V (no plywood case).
• Ten year pro-rated warranty
1. Specifications and Pricing are for 4 Volt Cells Inside A 3/4" Plywood Box
2. It requires three (3) of these 4 volt batteries to make one 12 volt battery,
six (6) to make one 24 volt battery or twelve (12) for 48 volts.
3. A set of two #1/0 battery cables are provided for series connecting the 4
volt cells together at 12, 24 or higher voltage batteries.
4. Paralleling cables, to connect complete batteries together to increase
capacity, are not included.
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Rolls/Surrette Deep-Cycle Batteries
These are the new generation, dual container, deep cycle Rolls
batteries from Surrette. They are high-capacity batteries with
a heavy-duty plate grid to resist postitve plate breakdown. The
platew are doubleinsulated with glass mat and a polyethylene
envelope, eliminating the possibility of separator misalignment,
cracked separatoprs, treeing or shorting at the bottoms or sides.
Rolls batteries are rated at 3200 cycles at 50% depth of discharge
and over 5000 cycles at 20%. Each 2-volt cell is built into its own
lightweight container made of durable polypropylene with the cover
heat bonded to the container, thus acid leakage is eliminated. The
cells are then assembled into a tough, lightweigt polyethylene outer
container with a removable lid. Even if the outer case is broken the
battery remains operable and spill-free. The individual cells of the
CS and KS series are bolted together allowing the battery to be
disassembled. The cells can be independently removed.
These batteries are shipped from the factory in Springhill, Nova Scotia. Ask us for a freight quote.
Item # Surrette Battery Capacity @ Capacity@ L in " W in " H in " Weight Price
Model voltage 20hr rate 100hr rate lbs
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Commercial Lead Acid Batteries
These deep cycle battery types have the lowest cost per amp hour. We recommend these for small to medium sized home power systems,
remote cabins and cottages. They will generally last from 3 to 7 years, and even longer if diligently maintained and properly cycled. Note:
We can have these batteries drop shipped in Canada for a savings in freight, contact us for the nearest shipping point to your location.
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Battery Accessories
Heavy Duty Battery Interconnects
To connect individual batteries together. Total load divides equally among battery
strings in parallel so 2 gauge may be adequate within each string. Heavier 2/0
is for connections between ends of series strings. Heaviest 4/0 Shunt /Inverter
Cable connects battery negative to meter shunt, or for longer cable between
shelves or rows of batteries.
50-950 Battery Interconnect 1ga 16" black $10.50
50-951 Battery Interconnect 2/0ga 8" black $16.50
50-952 Battery Interconnect 2/0ga 8" red $16.50
50-953 Battery Interconnect 2/0ga 13" black $19.50
50-954 Battery Interconnect 2/0ga 13" red $19.50
50-955 Battery interconnect 2/0ga 16" black $22.50
50-956 Battery Interconnect 2/0ga 16" red $22.50
50-957 Battery Interconnect 2/0ga 24" black $29.75
50-958 Battery Interconnect 2/0ga 24" red $29.75
Battery Hydrometers
The most accurate way to measure the state of charge of a wet cell lead acid
battery is by testing its electrolyte specific gravity. A proper test cannot be made
if water has recently been added to a battery cell. We caution, make sure your
hydrometer is clean before testing cells to avoid contamination of the electrolyte.
Be aware, battery electrolyte is corrosive! If you get acid on cotton clothing you
get holes.
This quality hydrometer reads actual specific gravity for an accurate
measurement of battery state of charge. Built-in thermometer for temperature
correction. Variation of .05 or greater specific gravity between cells indicates a
need for equalization charging or the presence of a weak cell.
51-870 Float Tube Hydrometer $17.50
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Battery Chargers
Transformers
120/240 VAC Autotransformers
These AC step-up and step-down transformers are greater than 98% efficient
and cause less than 0.2% idle loss at no load. They are nearly silent operat-
ing. Use an autotransformer as step-down to connect the 240 volt output of
a generator to the 120 volt input on an inverter. This allows full output power
of a 240 volt generator to be used for battery charging.
Use an autotransformer as a step-up to operate 240 volt pumps and appli-
ances and motors from the 120 volt output of an inverter. Autotransformers
are in NEMA 1 enclosures with knockouts for conduit.
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