We’re here with an exciting deep cycle battery technology – the Aquion Energy saltwater batteries. Yes, you heard right, saltwater instead of lead acid. Aquion Energy saltwater batteries are safe, non-toxic, and long lasting.
how batteries work
A battery is made up of multiple metal plates forming the positive cathode and negative anode. They have an insulating separator between them and are immersed in an electrolyte solution. When using energy from a battery (discharging it), a chemical reaction occurs – creating an imbalance of electrons, causing the flow of electrons from the anode to the cathode to try and restore balance. This is the flow of electricity. As a battery discharges, the anode and cathode plates become more chemically alike, the electrolyte becomes weaker and the voltage drops. To charge the battery back up, the process is reversed.
Lead acid vs. saltwater batteries
In lead acid batteries, the plates are made of lead (often lead dioxide on positive and pure lead on negative) and the electrolyte is sulfuric acid diluted in water. Aquion saltwater batteries are instead made of carbon, cotton, salt water, and Manganese Oxide. All of these materials are non-toxic and safe. And unlike lead acid batteries, you can wire as many saltwater batteries in parallel as you need. With lead acid batteries, wiring multiple strings in parallel can result in unequal charging and discharging, shortening the life of the batteries.
More on Aquion Saltwater Batteries
- Aquion batteries are the ONLY cradle-to-cradle certified energy storage product on the market – proving to be safe for the environment from creation to recycling
- Due to its design, it can be discharged down to completely empty, with no harm
- It can be regularly cycled down to 90% depth of discharge, unlike a lead acid battery that doesn’t want to go below 50% depth of discharge (or DoD)
Let’s take a closer look at the Aquion Energy saltwater battery…
Another question – Our batteries at in an insulated box in a shed.
It gets very cold up there and the pv’s on the roof get covered with snow.
Does it make sense to install a 50w panel vertical on the side of the shed where it won’t get snow on it?
Run wires thru a small CC to the battery bank to trickle charge it.
Any problem when both the roof pv’s and the wall pv are both charging?
Thanks
That is actually a great idea. Even flat against the wall prevents any snow buildup, and the low winter sun, plus reflection off the snow should work just fine. There shouldn’t be a problem with 2 charge controllers, just make sure they are both putting out about the same voltage.
Would it be better to get 250 w panels?
Either is fine, again, the amount of time you would actually be generating the full rated wattage is so small, if ever (maybe on a very cold sunny day at noon), that it won’t be a problem. And the charge controller is able to handle up to 900W.
Sorry I mean AHr. for the battery capacities
Presently we have 4-100w panels on our off grid cottage in Ontario. With 400 wh of 12v batteries.
Going to upgrade because we installed a propane furnace,with fan.
Going for 840wh of 12v batteries and 3-265w panels
We have a Outback FM60 MPPT CC. Will it be OK for the new setup?
If your battery bank is 12V, then you will have 3x265W = 795W / 12V battery = 66A through a 60A charge controller. That charge controller can handle up to 900W of solar in, but it will clip the output to 60A. This should not be a problem, as it is very rare that you will actually get full rated output from your panels.
Sorry
It is 15kw
Hi Amy
I will do my self a off grid system to my house, I used 1500 w/hr. per day. I will like to buy you batteries for only use in the night because in day I will use solar panels. Here in Puerto Rico we had must of the time sunny day What it is your recommendation of how many solar panels of 300 watts and battery for the night I will need.?
Gracias
Edwin