What is the Cycle Life of Your Battery?

When you see information about batteries one thing you will often see is the number of cycles Battery_Cycle_Life_vs_Depth_of_Discharge2they will claim to be able to provide in their lifetime. This figure can be anywhere from 2,000 cycles to 5,000 or even 6,000 cycles.

At first glance it might seem that the higher the number of cycles, the better the battery will be but in fact there are many factors that can affect the true number of cycles you will get out of your battery over its lifetime. Generally the more you take a battery below its recommended depth of discharge the fewer cycles you will get out of the battery.

One cycle is taking a battery from fully charged down to its recommended depth of discharge before charging it up again.
Continue reading “What is the Cycle Life of Your Battery?”

Is your battery toxic to you or your environment?

Non-toxic battery

One of the things that you should consider when putting battery storage on your home is whether or not the battery chemistry is toxic either in its manufacture or disposal or in its day to day use.

Often, one of the reasons that people put solar panels on their house and put in battery storage to collect the excess usage is to protect the environment and reduce the need for coal powered power stations.

This can be counterproductive if you choose a battery that is made from toxic materials or has components that can’t be recycled. Continue reading “Is your battery toxic to you or your environment?”

What does Depth of Discharge or DOD mean?

When you see information on batteries you often see their performanceDOD-vs-cycles-for-batteries talked about as their Depth of Discharge or DOD. This is the percentage of battery capacity that can be used.  For some batteries you can use 80 or 90% of their capacity but others only allow you to use 30%. It is very important to understand this when you are looking at the output of any battery.

You can have a range of batteries, all having 10 KW capacity but if one battery has a DOD of 80% where you would actually have 8KW of available storage another one might have a DOD of only 30% which means you would in fact only be able to use 3KW of storage. This means the lower the depth of discharge the more batteries you would need to achieve the same storage capacity. Continue reading “What does Depth of Discharge or DOD mean?”

What is the best operating temperature for your battery?

4-seasons-battery-temperature

Most batteries will operate, with varying degrees of effectiveness in the 5 – 35 °C range so are fine for the autumn and spring operating months, however if you want a battery that will also operate efficiently in winter and summer you need to understand how temperature has an effect on a batteries operating capabilities.

The ambient weather temperatures have a large impact on the performance and on the life of most batteries and unfortunately, it’s a characteristic that isn’t often talked about.

The optimum temperature for most batteries to operate at is around 25°C and this is the temperature all battery testing is performed at. When temperatures vary, either up or down there is an effect on the performance and life of most batteries.

Depending on the chemistry of the battery different batteries will only operate optimally within a limited temperature range, so it’s important to understand this when purchasing or upgrading your battery for energy storage.

When the temperature starts to fall  below about 15°C, depending on the battery chemistry, the electro-chemistry of the battery becomes sluggish and doesn’t perform as well. In fact, very few batteries operate below 0°C. This is relevant in many countries in Europe, the USA or Canada but not as relevant in most of Australia.

Continue reading “What is the best operating temperature for your battery?”

What is your Battery Size?

Energy storage batteries come in a variety of different sizes and weights and each have Battery-sizedifferent characteristics. If you have a lot of suitable space to store your battery this may not be relevant but if you are limited in space you may want to consider one of the smaller batteries.

Here is a comparison of some of the most common batteries currently available in Australia with comparisons of size for a similar sized 22kWh system.

If there is a possibility of moving house you will need take into account the battery size as well as its weight if you want to move it with you. Continue reading “What is your Battery Size?”

Energy Storage Growth Predictions

Photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation’s biggest weakness up until now has been its inability to supply power at the times it is most needed.Energy Storage-Growth

 

This can be addressed with the installation of battery systems that allow households and businesses to store renewable energy for use in peak periods.

The use of both photovoltaics and wind energy is increasing but it is the intermittent supply of both these sources of energy production that will drive the take up of battery storage.

As the price of electricity increases and the price of batteries decrease the use of batteries will become a better financial option for many people, particularly those that recognise the benefits to storing current electricity supply options and reducing the strain on the coal powered electricity generation supply at peak usage times.

However, although many people are saying they will wait until the price of batteries has come down, similar to the massive decrease in solar panels, there have been a number of studies done that prove that this will actually cost you money. When you work out the amount of money you will save on electricity costs over the next few years this will, in fact, be more than the expected decrease in the price of batteries.

  Continue reading “Energy Storage Growth Predictions”

Highlighting the features of our Sodium Nickel Chloride battery

John describing some of the features of our Sodium Nickel Chloride battery at a recent display at Warragul.FIAMM SoNick battery display

This was a local sustainability group that already had a degree of knowledge of alternative energy solutions and the SoNick battery met with a lot of interest.

Amongst other things, people were impressed with the very high embodied energy contained in the small footprint of the battery with 10 Kw in a battery of only 55 cm x 50 cm x 32 cm.

 

Will your battery operate effectively in hot weather?

Many people don’t understand the effect that ambient weather temperatures have on the life of their battery Temperature effect on battery lifeand it’s a characteristic that isn’t often talked about. The optimum temperature for most batteries to operate at is around 25°C and this is the temperature all battery testing is performed at. When temperatures vary, either up or down their is an effect on the performance of most batteries.

When the temperature starts to fall  below about 15°C, depending on the battery chemistry, the electro-chemistry of the battery becomes sluggish and doesn’t perform as well. In fact, very few batteries operate below 0°C. This is relevant in many countries in Europe, the USA or Canada but not as relevant in Australia. Continue reading “Will your battery operate effectively in hot weather?”

Is your battery recyclable?

One of the things that you should consider when putting battery storage on your home is whether or not the battery 100-percent-recyclablewill be recyclable at the end of its life.

Often, one of the reasons that people put solar panels on their house and put in battery storage to collect the excess usage is to protect the environment and reduce the need for coal powered power stations.

This can be counterproductive if you choose a battery that is made from toxic materials or has components that can’t be recycled.

The FIAMM SoNick battery is  100% recyclable and already has a recycling program in place. The battery materials are recycled to produce stainless steel, the nickel and iron go into alloys and the salt and ceramic are used for road beds.
Continue reading “Is your battery recyclable?”

The FIAMM SoNick battery on display at Ian Southall’s Renewable Energy Demonstration trailer

One of the places you can sometimes see the FIAMM SoNick battery on display is at Ian Southall’s Renewable Energy SoNick-battery-displayDemonstration trailer.

The  REDT travels around Gippsland in Victoria to various festivals and other venues, including schools, to educate people about renewable energies,  including school  children, with specially designed school programs.

The Renewable Energy Demonstration trailer (REDT) is integrated with up-to-date technology which allows combinations of stand- alone, off-grid and energy storage options to drive a computer modelling system. This then promotes programs and teachings on sustainability and energy efficiencies to be displayed on the interactive screens installed in the trailer. You can “Boil the Billy” from solar PV, “Fan yourself” with power from the wind turbine, or “Light your Life” with LEDs using a bicycle to provide power. The Renewable Energy Demonstration trailer can store enough energy in the deep cell batteries “ON BOARD” – enough to power a house over night or even operate an event site during the day.

The Renewable Energy Demonstration trailer (REDT) is now promoting the FIAMM SoNick battery technology as the premium battery now available on the Australian market and when possible has an actual battery on display to encourage community engagement with this battery technology. Continue reading “The FIAMM SoNick battery on display at Ian Southall’s Renewable Energy Demonstration trailer”