What is the best Solar Panel Battery to Use?

[vin2install 0]

Does any one have any ideas what kind of battery is the best to use with Solar Panels? My camera specs are 12vdc 500mA. But i would like the battery that would go up to 1A.

 

Thanks Everyone

[survtech 0]

It's not the current per se, but the current times the number of hours you would need to supply battery power in ampere/hours. If you want 1 amp at 12VDC and would need it for 12 hours, you would need at least a 12 ampere/hour battery. That power is mainly available only in lead/acid batteries. You will probably have to use a "gel cell" alarm battery or the like.

 

The other thing to consider is that your solar array must have sufficient capacity to run your camera(s) and recharge the battery simultaneously. You should also allow extra capacity in both the solar cells and the battery to allow for cloudy days, battery aging, dirt on the cell, etc. if you want 100% uptime.

 

Also, keep in mind solar cell placement. If it is in shade for part of the day, it won't be charging the battery or operating the camera.

[ak357 0]

Does any one have any ideas what kind of battery is the best to use with Solar Panels? My camera specs are 12vdc 500mA. But i would like the battery that would go up to 1A.

 

Thanks Everyone

 

May be this info will help

 

http://www.eurocosm.com/Application/Products/solar-powered/Solar-power-panel-calculation-GB.asp

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http://www.solarhome.org/11-20wattsolarpanels.aspx

[vin2install 0]

Do you guys have any links to point to the kind of battery i should be using?

[thewireguys 3]

http://shop.optimabatteries.com/index/1737.0.54219.0.0.0.0?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adwords

 

Used to use these for car audio

[vin2install 0]

http://shop.optimabatteries.com/index/1737.0.54219.0.0.0.0?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adwords

 

Used to use these for car audio

 

Are these the Gel Cell types of battery that you guys are talking about? I am testing out a SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) Type right now.

[thewireguys 3]

check these guys out

 

http://www.sunsurveillance.com/index.html

[survtech 0]

How to Make a Solar Power Generator for less than $300

[vin2install 0]

Would Lithium Batteries work good?

[survtech 0]

Probably not - they have some unique disadvantages. From Wikipedia:

 

"Disadvantages of traditional Li-ion technology

Lithium-ion batteries are more expensive than similar capacity NiMH or NiCd batteries. This is because they are much more complex to manufacture. Li-ion batteries actually include special circuitry to protect the battery from damage due to overcharging or undercharging. They are also more expensive because they are manufactured in much smaller numbers than NiMH or NiCd batteries. Li-ion batteries are becoming less expensive and over time we should see their price decrease significantly. Lithium ion batteries are not available in standard cells sizes (AA, C and D) like NiMH and NiCd batteries. Lithium-ion batteries also require sophisticated chargers that can carefully monitor the charge process. And because of their different shapes and sizes each type of Li-ion battery requires a charger designed to accommodate its particular size. This means lithium ion battery chargers are more expensive and more difficult to find than NiMH and NiCd battery chargers

 

Shelf life

A unique drawback of the Li-ion battery is that its service life is dependent upon aging (shelf life). From time of manufacturing, regardless of whether it was charged or the number of charge/discharge cycles, the battery will decline slowly and predictably in "capacity". This means the charge in an older battery will not last as long as in a new battery due solely to its age, unlike other batteries. This is due to an increase in internal resistance, which affects its ability to deliver current, thus the problem is more pronounced in high-current applications than low. This drawback is not widely published. However, as this capacity decreases over time, the time required to charge it also decreases proportionally. Also, high charge levels and elevated temperatures hasten permanent capacity loss for Lithium ion batteries. This heat is caused by the traditional carbon anode, which has been replaced with good results by Lithium titanate. Lithium titanate has been experimentally shown to drastically reduce the degenerative effects associated with charging including expansion and other factors. See "Improvements of lithium Ion technology" below.

 

At a 100% charge level, a typical Li-ion laptop battery that is full most of the time at 25 °C or 77 °F will irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year. However, a battery in a poorly ventilated laptop may be subject to a prolonged exposure to much higher temperatures, which will significantly shorten its life. Different storage temperatures produce different loss results: 6% loss at 0 °C (32 °F), 20% at 25 °C (77 °F), and 35% at 40 °C (104 °F). When stored at 40%–60% charge level, the capacity loss is reduced to 2%, 4%, 15% at 0, 25 and 40 degrees Celsius respectively."

 

 

The best battery for solar cell storage is probably a lead-acid type. For solar use, a deep-cycle lead-acid battery is recommended. They are designed to deliver a consistent voltage as the battery discharges versus a standard lead-acid battey, whose voltage drops as the battery discharges.

 

 

From Advanced Energy Group

 

"Sealed deep-cycle lead-acid batteries are maintenance free. They never need watering or an equalization charge. They cannot freeze or spill, so they can be mounted in any position. The Concorde PVX series (Sun-Xtender) is an excellent choice.

 

Sealed Gel Cell (gelled-electrolyte) batteries are relatively maintenance free, however unlike a high quality sealed lead-acid battery like the Concorde PVX extra care must be taken to insure a Gel Cell battery is not charged above 14.1 volts for a 12 volt battery, for example. Over charging a Gel Cell even once for a sustained period can really shorten it's life and even ruin it. Any charge source or charge regulator used must have user adjustable settings for sealed Gel Cell batteries to insure charge voltage does not exceed a safe limit. If your application dictates a sealed, gelled battery the Deka-East Penn MK series is an excellent choice."