Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Batteries

Stay powered up with an eco-friendly renewable energy battery system. Our solar photovoltaic (PV) batteries are rugged, high-capacity solutions, perfect for home emergency backup systems, off-grid configurations, and other deep storage applications. Choose from flooded, absorbed glass mat (AGM) and gel-cell batteries for all your solar PV battery needs.

Product Selection Help

Tech Help For Products

Tutorials & Knowledge Base

How do I calculate what type of solar battery I need?

There are a lot of variables to creating a battery backup solar system. To assist our customers, we have written a few articles that can be found in our Solar Tutorial Section. We have also created a solar calculator to assist with sizing your solar panel and solar photovoltaic battery needs, however, we do suggest reading our articles first otherwise the calculator can be difficult to use.

How do you connect a solar panel to a battery?

It is not recommended to connect a solar panel directly to a battery. Solar panels by design output a voltage higher than the battery pack they are charging. They do this so in marginal weather a solar panel may still reach a suitable charging voltage for the battery pack it is charging. A solar charge controller is recommended to be put in between the solar panel and battery pack. A solar charge controller offers several built-in protections, and will typically have a setting to charge a specific type of battery.

What solar batteries are for home use?

We have a wide selection of solar PV batteries. Selecting the right type of solar battery will depend on how you plan to maintain the battery and the surrounding environment.

Flooded Batteries - Typically, flooded batteries are the most affordable and most used solar battery, but they come with some maintenance requirements.

• First, flooded batteries need to be maintained with distilled water as it evaporated, so these batteries are best suited for a location where you live.
• Second, flooded batteries generally require a once a month equalization charge to prevent against acid stratification. Acid stratification is the process where the acid and water electrolyte separate or stratifies. The equalization charge will boil the battery to mix up the electrolyte and helps to reduce sulfation that occurs on the lead plates.
• Lastly, flooded batteries have an average lifespan of 3 to 5 years like other lead acid batteries. However, with proper maintenance and chemicals additives such as Battery Equaliser life expectancy can reach more than 5 years easily.

AGM Batteries

• AGM batteries are great for the home away from home. We find our customer use AGM batteries for their vacation cabins, or solar system where maintaining water levels within the battery would be difficult. AGM batteries are a sealed maintenance free battery that has a liquid electrolyte poured into the battery, it is charged, and then sealed.
• The electrolyte in an AGM battery is suspended in the fiberglass matting surrounding the lead plates. This dramatically reduces water loss and gassing of the battery during repeated charge and discharge cycles.
• AGM batteries can hold under load at a lower depth of discharge over flooded and gel batteries. While no lead acid battery likes to be excessively discharged, an AGM battery can hold under a higher amp load in most cases up to 80% depth of discharge.

Gel Batteries

• Gel batteries have a silica-based electrolyte that has a slower chemical reaction. This electrolyte is unique over the flooded and AGM batteries with a liquid electrolyte and it comes with some pros and cons.
• Gel batteries are best suited for locations that see extreme weather. The battery is more freeze tolerant in colder weather due to the thick paste for an electrolyte. In warmer weather, a lead acid battery’s chemical reaction increases causing the battery to sulfate quicker. Since a gel battery already has a slower chemical reaction it can tolerate warmer weather over its flooded or AGM counterparts.
• Gel batteries are more tolerable to excessive discharge over flooded and AGM batteries. This is due to the slower chemical reaction within the battery that causes the battery to sulfate slower. However, the slower chemical reaction doesn’t make them a good choice for an application that requires a high load in an excessive discharge state.