The 3 Best Batteries For An Off-Grid Energy System

It’s the question that anyone using alternative energy inevitably asks at some point…What are the best 3 batteries for an off-grid energy system?

Because of the falling prices of renewable energy systems, more and more people are looking to use alternative energy sources as a way to:

• Save money
• Become more energy independent
• And break their dependence on the big energy companies

However, installing a renewable energy system, in most cases, requires you to make a considerable initial investment that you won’t get back for several years.

One of the biggest expenses associated with alternative energy systems is the batteries in the battery bank.

So choosing the correct batteries for your off-grid system is crucial (and keeping the batteries alive as long as possible is also critically important)!

You Don’t Have To Buy New Overpriced Batteries

Before we tell you what 3 batteries we recommend for your alternative energy system’s battery bank…

It’s important to first note that you don’t have to buy the 3 batteries we recommend brand new.

Instead, you can use the EZ Battery Reconditioning program to:

• Get old or used batteries for free (or dirt cheap)
  • Recondition them back to “like-new” condition
    • Then use those reconditioned (like-new) batteries in your alternative energy system’s battery bank INSTEAD of buying new overpriced batteries

    Doing this will will save you a considerable amount of money when building a battery bank and it helps make alternative energy accessible to those with a tighter budget!

    But that still leaves the questions…

    What are the 3 best batteries to use in your solar power, wind power, or other alternative energy system?

    In this blog post we’ll try to answer that question in a very simple and straightforward manner.

    Here’s what we’ll go over:

    1. Lead Acid-Batteries VS. Other Battery Technologies in a battery bank
    2. Deep Cycle vs. Shallow Cycle Batteries in a battery bank
    3. Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries (FLA) VS Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries (SLA) in a battery bank
    4. And finally, which 3 Batteries we recommend for your residential off-grid energy system (based on the criteria we go over in this article)

    Lead Acid-Batteries vs. Other Battery Technologies

    Many of the batteries that are used in renewable energy systems were originally designed for other purposes. The most prominent example of this is the lead acid battery which has dominated the industry for a long time.

    Deep cycle lead-acid batteries have proven to be one of the best (and most affordable) battery types for alternative energy system battery banks for these reasons:

    • They’re able to withstand frequent discharging,
    • They’re cheaper than other kinds of batteries,
    • They have more rugged durability,
    • They deliver more consistent performance than other batteries.

    The fact that they are widely produced also means that they are relatively easy to replace if a battery in your battery bank needs replacing.

    It should be noted though, that as of late, lithium ion batteries for residential alternative energy systems, like Tesla’s Powerwall, have been gaining ground – but the initial investment into lithium ion batteries is still much more than the initial investment into lead-acid batteries.

    The Powerwall may eventually change this but at the moment deep cycle lead-acid batteries are the cheapest and most practical solution for a home battery bank.

     

    Deep Cycle vs. Shallow Cycle (Car) Batteries

    Back when the renewable energy industry was still picking up steam, people that wanted to go completely off the grid would often have to improvise and make do with car batteries. However, car batteries were never built for this purpose and shouldn’t be continuously drained and recharged (which is what they need to do in a solar panel or wind turbine system).

    Car batteries are supposed to be used only for starting and ignition. If you take a look inside one, you will see that they have a large number of thin plates.

    These plates have a big total surface area that can facilitate a large number of chemical reactions. When you start your car, these reactions produce the sudden burst of power that is needed for ignition.

    Deep cycle batteries on the other hand, have thick lead plates that don’t give much room for chemical reactions. Though they produce less current, they are designed to do so for a much longer period of time.

    In essence, car batteries are “shallow cycle” batteries that will quickly burn out when used as storage for renewable power.

    Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries  (FLA)  VS  Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries (SLA)

    Before telling you what three batteries are best for alternative energy system’s battery banks, it should be made clear why flooded lead-acid batteries (FLA’s) are better for renewable energy than sealed lead-acid batteries (SLA’s).

    One of the reasons that some people favour SLA’s is because they require little maintenance. Unlike FLA’s that need to be checked regularly for water level, SLA’s that are used properly can be left alone.

    However, sealed lead-acid batteries have two big flaws: they are sensitive and wear out quickly. So if you’re planning on using your solar panel or wind power system every day, this will eventually pose a problem.

    So, here are the categories of flooded lead-acid batteries that are best for an off-the-grid power system:

    So,What are the best 3 batteries for an off-grid energy system?

    So now that we know we want a lead acid battery, that’s flooded (FLA), and also has deep cycle properties …here are our 3 favorite batteries for an off-grid system’s battery bank:

    Read More HERE

    See Our Off-Grid Products HERE