Batteries

A solar battery is one that receives its energy from the sun or from some other light source through the use of photovoltaics and store power generated and discharge the power as needed (through an inverter). By using a controller, the appliances can work with 110/220V electricity current from the battery.

In most cases, a solar-powered battery is implanted in an electronic device and not capable of being removed. A solar battery is usually capable of fully charging after just an hour or two of exposure to sunlight.

What types of solar batteries most often used?

There are two types of batteries most often used in the market. These are called GEL and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries. Both GEL and AGM They store their charge very well and do not degrade as easily as the common lead acid (wet cell) battery. Because of the type of material used as the electrolyte (GEL or Absorbed Glass Matt) there is very little chance of a hydrogen gas build up that can lead to an explosion and these batteries do not experience corrosion. They are very safe batteries and are therefore ideally suited to solar pv and wind turbine (remote power) installations.

(AGM) Batteries

AGM (Absorption Glass Mat) batteries were developed for military aircrafts where power, weight, safety, and reliability were paramount considerations.

AGM battery technology has continued to develop and offer improvements over other sealed battery technologies. AGM technology has become the next step in the evolution of both starting and deep cycle sealed batteries for marine, RV, and aviation applications. This “next generation” technology delivers increased safety, performance, and service life over all other existing sealed battery types, including gel technology.

In AGM sealed batteries, the acid is absorbed between the plates and immobilized by a very fine fiberglass mat. No silica gel is necessary. This glass mat absorbs and immobilizes the acid while still keeping the acid available to the plates. This allows a fast reaction between acid and plate material.

The AGM battery has an extremely low internal electrical resistance. This, combined with faster acid migration, allows the AGM batteries to deliver and absorb higher rates of amperage than other sealed batteries during discharging and charging. In addition, AGM technology batteries can be charged at normal lead-acid regulated charging voltages, therefore, it is not necessary to recalibrate charging systems or purchase special chargers.

GEL Batteries

This type of batteries contain acid that has been turned into a “gel” through the addition of Silica Gel, turning the acid into a solid state. These batteries are impossible to spill acid even if they are broken. However, there are disadvantages to using this type of battery.

They cannot be fast charged or they may be permanently damaged. This is not usually a problem with solar electric systems though. If the battery is charged via an inverter trickle charger then it’s important to set the charging current correctly to limit the charging current to the batteries.