When Should I Replace My Solar Battery?

Solar energy is one of the most abundant clean energy sources. Keeping that in mind, we come to this question of storage. The battery is what will determine whether solar energy is sustainable for everyday mass use.

How long does a battery last, and how often should a battery be replaced; it all comes down to its life span and the factors that determine its lifespan. We will briefly analyze the factors involved and answer the questions.

Being a sensitive device, typically, the lifespan of the solar battery is between 5 to 15 years. However, since the user is not expected to use the solar battery all day, the replacement of the solar battery is likely to be done after 15-25 years. However, the user may frequently need to change or repair different parts of the solar battery from time to time throughout the solar battery’s lifetime. The battery lifespan is usually dependent on the usage of the solar battery.

When should we Replace the Solar Battery?

• Batteries are the primary cause of solar light failure; when it fails to deliver the desired output, it is time to replace the batteries. However, that won’t happen for a minimum of 10 years before there will be a need to change it.
• One way to go on about checking the solar battery’s working condition when the light fails is to unplug the solar battery line to the light source and connect it with a regular battery. If the light turns on, we know that the problem is in the solar battery. This is the simple method you can know when it is time to get a new battery.
• There is another situation that will demand the need to change the batteries. It is when the charging and discharging of the solar batteries, which are automatic in most of them, get weak over time, and the over battery performance reduces significantly. This sometimes makes the battery stop working at the desired output. You can replace the old battery with a new one based on the performance.
• Do not wait for the lifecycle period to end. Change the battery when it is time before the lifecycle ends.

Understanding the Need to Use the Solar Battery

The most abundant energy source is the sun and its solar energy. Human beings have found a way to harness the sun’s energy and provide clean energy in the form of electrical energy.

The solar battery is the component that stores the electrical energy, which is converted by the solar panels. Without the battery, there will be no other way to store the energy provided by the sun and the panels.

Knowing that the energy produced varies and fluctuates, the electrical energy is not constant. Therefore, batteries play a significant role in keeping the cost low and the energy constant by providing storage space for electrical energy.

Why do We Need a Solar Battery?

Batteries help store the energy to use later, which makes it good for saving, and that is an excellent advantage. Solar panels work so that they don’t supply current directly to the loads and do not need a battery for this purpose; however, batteries are needed because it stores and saves energy to be able to use later.

So, with this, we know that without a battery, we can use the electricity only for a limited period. For instance, at night when there is no sunlight. For nighttime uses, batteries are put in place to store the extra energy during the peak hours of the day, when the sun source is at maximum.

This is also why the battery needs to be operational and replaced at regular intervals to let the consumers get the requisite energy source even during nighttime or when there is no sunlight during the day.

How is a Solar Battery Different?

There is a difference between solar batteries and the classic car or inverter batteries we see every day. Solar batteries are much bulkier in size compared to ordinary batteries. Although advancements have been made in this regard, they are still larger than the traditional ones.

The sizes of solar batteries differ depending on the installed solar system. Typically, we place the batteries in safe rooms and are not exposed to other things. The cost drops as the technology advances.

The life Span of a Solar Battery

There are various factors involved in the battery’s life span, which we will go through one by one. Solar batteries that we find in the market come with a life expectancy of 5 to 15 years based on the specification of the systems.

Even though this seems high, it goes beyond the stipulated time and can be changed at a later year off 25 years or more. Let us dive into factors that determine the life span and how to go about understanding when to it is time to replace.

The Factor That Affects the Life Expectancy

Solar Battery Type:

The chemical of Solar batteries comes in either saltwater, lead acid, or lithium-ion. Amongst these, lithium-ion battery is the most sought-after for home usage.

• Saltwater Batteries:

As the name suggests, this battery thrives only on saltwater electrolysis and does not have heavy metals in them. It is, therefore, the cleanest and most environmentally friendly of the three.

However, this type is not thoroughly tested and is one of the newest methods and does not compare in terms of potential energy to the other two.

• Lead-Acid Batteries:

This type is prevalent for off-grid systems, and it is the cheapest one in the market. The drawback is that it has a significantly lower life span than the other two. It also has a lower DoD, which is the depth of discharge. DoD is vital because when the battery pushes beyond its DoD, it will drastically shorten the battery’s life.

• Lithium-Ion Batteries:

Everything about this battery is incredible; it is by far the most efficient and most loved battery composition and is widely used at home solar set up for batteries. You name it, a longer life span, lighter, more compact, cheaper.

Solar Battery Usage

Anything and everything dries down or becomes obsolete over time. Just as humans rot and die slowly, the usage of batteries will slowly eat away over time.

However, it is slow in batteries as it discharges entirely before recharging, providing a more cycle. While some batteries are automatically discharged, some are manual and have to be charged in person, and this discharging is necessary to ensure a longer life cycle of its usage.

Solar Battery Temperature

The temperature of the battery’s place determines the condition at which the battery will perform over time and has to do with its life and performance. The battery needs optimal temperatures to perform well.

Solar Battery Warranty

So, the batteries of different compositions come with a different warranty period. Lithium-ion, as discussed, is the best in the industry, and lead-acid are at the end with a significantly lower warranty. Various companies will give you a good warranty for some amount. Go for the best one available in your area.

Solar Battery Maintenance

Maintenance goes a long way to bringing about a longer period of performance. Timely measuring and inspection of the battery and maintenance of the charging and discharging period of the battery will increase the battery’s performance and extend its life for a longer duration.

How to change your solar battery?

You can update panel batteries to your current battery machine without any problems. You can be capable of discovering it anyplace you purchased it hooked up in the home.

If you hooked up your battery machine outside, that is what may also have prompted the battery to get defective. Typically, cooler locations are more suitable.

Once you’re in the front of the machine, you want to select the suitable battery speculations to install. First, it is advisable to disconnect connections that include the inverter earlier than the battery. You can update with the brand-new battery, reconnect the connections and inverter, and you’re set.

Conclusion

There should be proper maintenance and guidelines followed to use a solar battery for a longer time. Keeping the warranty and life span of the battery in mind, it can go way beyond the stipulated time if the above factors are noted and taken care of with utmost diligence.

Once the performance goes down, you should pay careful attention and repair whatever is not working efficiently and check the warranty period.

If everything is smoothly performing, you would need to change the battery for 25 years. Keep tabs on its performance and life cycle with the battery you are using.