Lead-Acid vs Lithium Batteries: Which Are Best For Solar?

by Maddy Bris I am Maddy Bris CEO and Founder of Sunny Sky Solar

Going Solar for meeting energy requirements is one of the smartest and most sustainable choices that people are making today. However, the decision and installation are accompanied by a variety of questions, doubts and apprehensions about this new-to-adopt technology for the first-time users.

One of the most common confusions that arise while setting up a solar power system is related to the battery that should be used in the setup. As the efficiency and return on investment of a solar power system are highly dependent on the quality and type of battery used, it becomes even more essential for any household/ business to attend to this question of "which battery is the best for solar”.

The two most common variants of solar power batteries are lead-acid battery and lithium battery. In order to understand and assess the specifications of both of these and to make the best choice for your setup, it is important to compare both of these on certain essential features that should be looked for while choosing the battery type. We will now compare lead-acid batteries and lithium batteries.

Charging the battery

The charging efficiency of a solar power battery directly affects the overall efficiency of the setup. Therefore, it is important to choose the one that is highly efficient in terms of charging.

The charging efficiency of the lead-acid battery type is comparatively low. They have a 70% efficiency. Lead-acid batteries lose plenty of energy to recharge. This battery type makes use of the additional energy to mix the acid and the excess energy is burnt in this process. Temperature is increased during this and it causes the water inside the batteries to evaporate which leads to the requirement of topping up the unit regularly with water.

Contrastingly, the lithium-ion battery can be charged to full capacity, and therefore these units can aid you in saving monetarily on your power bills. These batteries are 96% efficient and they accept rapid and partial charging.

Maintenance

Solar power systems are not a one-time deal and any household or business looks up to them as a long-term investment. Therefore, maintenance of the system always remains a major factor to attend to. The lead-acid solar batteries need a lot of maintenance and the maintenance required is not easy to carry out. In addition to being a daunting task, you also have to ensure that they are not placed in your living room as they emit a lot of gases during the process of recharging. A separate space is to be dedicated for these units and the gas is to be expelled from the charging area using a special ventilation system thereby requiring a lot of arrangement and additional costs.

In the case of lithium-ion batteries, you don’t have to manage any such daunting tasks or invest in infrastructure costs.

Weight of the battery

Lithium-ion batteries weigh three times less than lead-acid batteries and are therefore easier to transport.

Service life

The service life of lithium-ion batteries is three times more than the lead-acid batteries and they, therefore, serve as a cost-saving option. You need not replace them regularly and the other features of this type act as add-on benefits to your choice.

Safety and emissions

Concerning safety, the lead-acid batteries do not comprise any safety systems. These batteries are not sealed and they emit hydrogen during the process of recharging. This also poses as a reason why these batteries cannot be used in the food industry due to the toxicity that they emit.

On the other hand, lithium solar batteries do not emit any harmful gases and therefore can be used for different applications. Additionally, these batteries also come with a special control system to ensure additional protection.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the lithium-ion batteries are better than the lead-acid solar batteries from multiple perspectives and the comparison drawn above validates this. In terms of service life, safety, maintenance, weight, and charging, the lithium-ion batteries have an edge over the lead-acid variants.

It is also to be noted that the quality of batteries plays an important role in the efficiency and required maintenance. Sunny Sky Solar offers the best in Brisbane solar batteries of all types available in the variants of 5KW solar power system, 6KW or 6.6KW solar power system, 10KW solar power system, and 13.2KW solar power system. Want to know more about solar power system or batteries, then contact us. Our solar counselors will help you to assist on the same.