How Does a Solar Battery Work? 

Solar batteries store electricity from the sun to be used at a later time. This article will take a closer look at what they do, and the different types of solar batteries.

What is a Solar Battery?

During the day, many people tend to be out of the house. This might be because they’re at work and their children at school. It’s also during the day that solar panels can benefit the most from sunlight. Having a solar battery means it can be stored. It can then be used when it’s dark outside or less sunny. It can even be used if a power cut were to happen. Alternatively, it can be sold to the grid. Plus, using a solar battery means you can have less reliance on the grid.

For businesses, the opposite tends to be true, in that in the majority of cases the bulk of the electricity to power the business is used during the day when the solar PV is generating, so a higher percentage of the renewable energy generated will be used onsite, without the need for a battery.

Types of Solar Battery

Solar panels generate DC electricity. This must be converted into AC before being used in the house. This electricity can be stored in two ways.
DC coupling – This is when a current change doesn’t take place before it’s stored in your battery. It’s changed from DC to AC when electricity from the battery is sent into your property (or back to the grid). These tend to have a more complex installation which can increase costs. However, they’re seen as a good option because the electricity is only converted once.

AC coupling – With this system, DC electricity will be sent through an inverter and turned into AC electricity. This will then be used in the home or business, but will also go through a separate inverter for storage where it will be turned into DC electricity. When you want to use this stored electricity, it’ll go back through the invertor to be changed to AC.

This method means the electricity is converted three times. Every time this happens, it can cause small losses in productivity. However, an advantage is that they can store power from both the grid and solar panels.

As well as different types of conversions, there’s also a range of batteries to look at across the market.

Lithium Ion

These have several benefits, including their long lifespan and high DoD (depth of discharge). This is the percentage that a battery can be used up to before it needs to be recharged. They’re also able to hold energy for a long time. Because of these advantages, they tend to be an expensive option. Although some would say they’re worth the extra cost.

Lead Acid

These have been on the market for a long time and are still widely used. However, their DoD is lower and so is their lifespan compared to a lithium-ion battery. They’re still a very reliable option and aren’t too expensive.

Nickel Based

These have also been on the market for a while. They’re popular for larger scale projects like commercial solar farms. This is because they’re durable and don’t need much maintenance.

Flow Batteries

These batteries have risen in popularity in recent times. Like nickel-based batteries, these are good for larger scale applications. They have a long lifespan and pose minimal risk of starting a fire. They are however expensive and need a lot of space.

The Science Behind Solar Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are very popular on the market.

A chemical reaction allows these to work. This happens as lithium ions release free electrons. These travel from the anode, which is negatively charged, to the cathode, which is positively charged. There’s a liquid inside the battery called lithium-salt electrolyte. This works to balance the reaction.

When you want to use electricity from the battery, electrons travel from the negative electrode to the positive one. Whilst this is happening, lithium ions travel back across the electrolyte and go to the positive electrode.

Commercial Solar Solutions from Mypower

We’re Mypower, a solar panel company who have been assisting a range of companies since 2010. We work across a number of sectors including, commercial solar panels, agricultural solar panels, and industrial solar panels. We help people minimise their carbon footprint, secure energy, futureproof electricity costs and electricity bills.

We install solar panels which are award-winning, so our customers benefit from maximum production. These are mostly manufactured by Trina and QCells who’s designs, and technology are based on the most recent research. Contact us here to find out more.