The battery storage for solar panels is very important to the overall home PV system. There a few reasons for that, but the main one is cost.

The batteries can be one of the most expensive components of your entire home solar power system!

So you want to pay close attention when building the battery bank. To help you in the construction process, here are 3 tips you can use.

1) Stay away from automotive battery.

When you are building a battery storage bank for your PV system, do not use car battery! If you use them, you will be wasting your money.

Automotive batteries are not designed for residential solar power system because they are not made for the deep cycle usage that occurs in PV systems.

Car batteries are used for short time interval when you need a large power surge, for example, the high voltage needed to start an engine.

It is then immediately recharged by the vehicle electric alternator.

It does not need to be discharged over a long period like batteries that are tied to a PV system.

Solar system needs battery to discharge small amount of power over a long period of them. The battery will then to be charged on an irregular basis because we can’t be sure if there’s a clear sunny day to charge the Photovoltaic cells.

An automotive battery under these conditions will die after only a couple of discharge and charging cycle.

2) Have more than you need.

The recommended energy discharge for a home solar system battery bank is about 50 percent. So when you have calculated the power requirement needed for the PV system, multiplied it by a factor of 2. Next, build the battery bank based on that figure.

You don’t want the batteries to discharge all its power just to keep up with your home power needs, therefore, have more battery units.

3) The lower rate of discharge the better.

If the batteries are properly sized and maintained, the life span for a PV system battery can be anywhere from 3 years to 10 years or longer. However, the life span will depend on how much you discharge the battery.

For example, if you have a battery that is being discharged at 30 percent of its discharge capacity versus another battery that is discharged at 80 percent, the battery with a higher discharge rate will die much sooner compared the one with lower discharge rate.

To solve this issue, again, it is best to have a larger battery bank than required by your PV system.

DIY Home Solar Power System Guide

Do you want to build your own home solar power system and start reducing your monthly electricity bill? If you do, you will need a DIY residential PV system guide.

For an easy to follow home renewable energy guide, check out the Earth 4 Energy program from Michael Harvey. The program comes with a step by step guide to building a homemade solar panel and 7 High Definition (HD) instructional videos.

For more information, read the Earth 4 Energy review post on this blog.

==> Click here to visit Earth 4 Energy now!

Related web pages:
1) Earth 4 Energy Scam – Is Michael Harvey’s Earth4Energy A Fraud?

2) Green DIY Energy Review – Reviewing the GreenDIYEnergy program

There are generally 3 types of residential solar power system that you can choose from:

1) Grid-intertied solar power system.

2) Grid-intertied solar power system with battery backup.

3) Off-grid solar power setup.

In this post, I am going to write about the battery bank.

Building Your Own Battery Bank

To build a battery bank for your home, firstly, you have to know what type of battery to choose. The type of battery suitable for a residential solar power system is the “deep cycle”.

Deep cycle batteries are more durable and capable of discharging at a slower rate. The battery also discharges at a deeper level without destroying itself.

Deep cycle batteries are direct contrast to conventional lead acid batteries used on automobile. Car battery discharges very fast in order to have sufficient power to crank the engine. It is also not recommended to discharge the battery to a low level or it will damage the battery.

Therefore, if you are planning to make a home battery bank, do not use car batteries.

The video above shows a battery bank made out of 6 volts cells. You may be wandering, why use 6 volts when you can get 12 volts battery?

The answer is simple really. It is because of the “cost”.

6 volts batteries are generally cheaper compared to 12 volts. When you connect 2 units of 6 volts battery together in series, you will get 12 volts anyway. Doing that, you will save you some money.

There are benefits of using a 12 volts battery though. The major advantage is space saving and less power cables to deal with. Secondly, 12 volts battery requires less maintenance. Maintaining 1 unit of battery is easier compared to 2.

Safety First

When building your DIY battery bank, remember, safety first. Batteries are filled with sulfuric acid which is a very nasty stuff.

Always wear protective clothing and safety glasses when working with battery. As a safety precaution, have a box of baking soda nearby. If for any reason you got sulfuric acid on you, use the baking soda to neutralize the acid.

DIY Home Solar Power System

When you have the battery bank all set up, you can now charge it with a solar panel. A DIY solar panel with 36 pieces of Photovoltaic (PV) cell usually will generate 18 volt and approximately 75 watts of electricity on a clear sunny day. The solar panel will be suitable for your battery bank.

How much would it cost to make the solar panel? As a matter of fact, you can get it done for less than $150.

To find out how you can build an inexpensive solar panel, check out the Green DIY Energy program. The program comes with 2 e-books and 6 High Definition (HD) instructional videos showing you step-by-step how to make a solar module at minimal cost.

For more information, read the Green DIY Energy review at www.greendiyenergyreviews.com.

==> Click here to read more about Green DIY Energy now!

Related web pages:
1) Golf Cart Battery – Maintenance Guide To Extend The Life Of Electric Golf Cart Batteries

2) Solar Panels For Homes – Back To Basics

Do It Yourself Home Solar Power System

Many people are really keen to use renewable energy source such as solar power to reduce their home energy consumption. When the energy is generate by the solar array, most of the time, it will not be used immediately.

Most people with a Do It Yourself (DIY) solar energy system will build a battery bank to store the electricity generated. The size of the battery bank will be dependent on your household energy requirement.

Power will be drawn from the battery bank at night or when there is heavy cloud coverage. To have sufficient power, it may be a good idea to have 15 – 20 units of battery.

Where To Find Cheap Battery Storage For Home DIY Solar System?

Getting 15 – 20 units of battery can be quite expensive. There are many ways to reduce your budget though.

Want to know where to find cheap batteries? You can actually find them on eBay!

What type of battery should you use? For long lasting and steady power flow, it is recommended to use deep cycle battery for a DIY solar power system.

A deep cycle lead-acid battery is designed to deliver a consistent voltage as the battery discharges. In contrast, starter batteries on most road vehicles are designed to deliver sporadic current spikes. You don’t want this kind of battery or you will experience flickering on your lights or electrical appliances.

The most suitable deep cycle batteries are the one used on electric golf carts. If you want to know how to get your hands on some cheap deep cycle batteries, keep on reading.

Shopping For Cheap Batteries On eBay

The first step is to go to eBay main web site at www.ebay.com. You will see a pull down menu at the center of the page where it show All Categories. Click on the down arrow button and select eBay Motors.

Next, type in “golf cart batteries” in the search box next to it and click on the “Search” button. The web site will now gather all the deep cycle battery listings on eBay.

When the search results are presented, now all you have to do is browse through all the offers and auction and find the one which meets your requirement.

Here’s a tip, you should try doing the battery search couple of times a week on eBay. This is because as time goes by, people will start auctioning some used golf cart battery on eBay. You can to take advantage of this and be on the constant look out.

The screen shots below show some deep cycle batteries listings the last time I did a search on eBay.

Building Your Own Home Battery Bank System

Do you want to know how to make your own battery storage system for your home solar panel? If you do, check the Power 4 Home manual by John Russel.

The e-book will show you step-by-step how to set the battery units with relatively low cost. For more information, read the Power 4 Home reviews in this blog.

==> Click here to visit Power 4 Home now!

Related web sites:

1) Deep cycle battery – A deep-cycle lead-acid battery is designed to deliver a consistent voltage as the battery discharges.