If you’re wondering what kind of battery is the best to use with a solar power system, this article will give you the answer. Most people who install a solar power system want to use power at night when the sun isn’t shining, and so will require some way to store the energy generated during the day. The way to do this is typically with batteries and a proper charge controller. But, what is the best kind of battery to use?

The recent battery technologies that are used in things like laptops, ipods and hybrid cars might be your first thought. There are a couple of reasons why they aren’t so good for solar, which I’ll explain.

Size and weight is the biggest advantage these types of batteries have. These newer types of batteries are, however, much more expensive than older battery technology. In applications where size and weight are very important, like laptop computers, people are willing to pay extra to have a smaller, lighter device.

You likely aren’t going to be carrying your solar power system around with you, however. On the other hand, you are going to want as much capacity as you can afford. For this reason, cost per amp/hour of capacity is a lot more critical than being small or light.

If you want the best value for a given battery capacity, you can’t beat regular sealed lead acid. That’s right, the same kind of battery that is in your car. Sealed lead acid batteries will be 50-25% the cost of the newer battery types for similar capacity. For toughness, low cost and safety, you can’t bead sealed lead acid batteries.

In most solar power systems you will find 12v sealed lead acid batteries. The most common voltages for home solar power systems are 12, 24 or 48 volts. Any of these voltages can be conveniently generated by tying together the right number of 12 volt batteries in series. You then take these groups of batteries tied together in series and wire the groups in parallel to increase the amount of power you can store and then later release from the batteries.

A 12 volt solar battery charger will use the power generated by the solar panels to keep the batteries charged. The charge controller lowers the amount of power applied to the batteries as they get more charged to prevent overcharging.

A power inverter will allow you to supply power to devices you would normally plug into the wall . You’ll need a grid tie inverter if you plan to sell excess electricity back to the power company. If not, a standard power inverter will be cheaper and work fine for your standard appliances.

That’s pretty much it. For a home solar power system, tried and true older battery technology is best. If you’re planning a home solar power system, you should use sealed lead acid batteries.