Solar Panel Lithium Batteries

john h · Jun 18, 2012

Im having 10 solar panels installed with a rating of 195kwp each What size lithium battery's do I require for storage I live in a 2 bedroom bungalow and a low use of power The bigest item being the washing machine and the useual tele pc and lights Also Is it difficult to connect to the inverter

SRE · Jun 18, 2012

Batteries and your useage are almost as individual as your fingerprint you'll need to sit down with your installer and go through what you're using when, storage facilities, cost etc. He/she are the best person to ask - that's what you're paying for

john h · Jun 19, 2012

I have spoken to 6 different companies here in the UK and all have just said i dont need it. It appears its not the norm here in the UK and all they want to do is fit the solar panels.Thats why i turned to this forum. As I said above The biggest power consumption unit is the washing machine which will only be used during the day. The rest of the household items are low power units except for an electric ketll
Any guidence would be appreciated Thankse

moggy1968 · Jun 19, 2012

You need to look at all the items you are likely to be using their power consumption. then look at the time they will be on to work out your amp/hour consumption. This will then tell you what size batteries you need. You would also need to allow for an excess of capacity to cover for days when the array isn't producing well. On a 1.95kW array it will be marginal.
I wold suggest you have a look at the Solar Electricity Handbook, by Michael Boxwell.
There is another post on her looking at this and for the reasons given there it is not really viable in the UK, which is why you can't find anyone interested in doing it.
There are compexities regarding G83 compliance with battery storage systems as well.

Worcester · Jun 19, 2012

For battery backup and storage, the best advice will probably come from Wind and Sun on 01568 760671 (see Wind & Sun - Batteries - Rolls, Elecsol, Hoppecke, Trojan, Sonnenschein) they are not cheap and will probably cost more than your solar PV system to give you the correct amount of back up.

Red16 · Jun 19, 2012

It honestly doesn't sound like you need batteries at all. If your biggest current using accessories are on during daylight hours it's pointless storing it in a battery bank. I'd send it back through the FIT meter and keep your bills down instead personally

john h · Jun 19, 2012

Ok guys I take your point thanks for all the imputs

infinity · Jul 4, 2012

I installed 4 last week on an install, with a 400A in total at 12V. Its more of a UPS now though as wouldnt work as customer wanted it too.

Vegelen · Oct 2, 2012

Domestic Lithium battery storage solutions are a good idea in principle, but presently remain unsatisfactory for a number of reasons:

(1) Lithium Battery storage and monitoring systems are very expensive - Approaching the cost of a domestic Solar system.
(2) Lithium Batteries typically last 5,000 storage cycles- Expect to replace your batteries every decade.
(3) Lithium Batteries require a monitoring system to maintain batteries at the correct level of charge.
(4) Payback on installing this technology is slow when compared with many alternative energy saving measures.
(5) Until the mass market embraces this technology, Lithium batteries will remain expensive for many years to come.