Among the mainstays of a house are electricity, gas, and fossil fuels and these take out a chunk out of the family budget not to mention the harmful effects it releases into the environment. An alternative is being considered in most homes to add to their power options as well as subtract a substantial amount from their bills.
Solar power and the use of solar powered battery are becoming more popular and a common sight in new homes. The unbelievable energy that the sun is emitting can be harnessed for your use with solar power; put it all together, if you could, and you have in your hands energy that is endless. But since that feat is not yet possible, we would have to settle for solar cells to store this great energy.
The solar power battery is not the typical kind that you can buy from the hardware store in your area. These batteries are called deep cycle batteries and have very different functions from other kinds.
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Deep cycle batteries give off a smaller current at the beginning but maintain this current for hours on end. You do not really worry that much when the sun is out and shining but you need solar power stored in the batteries on a rainy day or until the batteries can be charged again with the sun.
TWO COMMONLY USED DEEP CYCLE SOLAR POWER BATTERIES
There are two kinds of deep cycle solar power batteries that are more commonly used.
LEAD ACID: The lead-acid batteries, like your 12-volt battery car, is the more preferred due to its affordability. Newer types cost up to four times the price of lead-acid batteries for the same capacity though these should not be used for more than halfway.
NICKEL-CADMIUM: The other is called the nickel-cadmium batteries which cost more than the lead-acid type. These batteries have a longer life to them and can be totally emptied without causing any damage or bad effects; charging the batteries back to full is not a problem either.
LITHIUM ION BATTERIES
For the time being, steer clear from using batteries that come from the new and advanced technology of batteries. Lithium ion batteries have a tendency to become very hot and even catch fire if voltage is dropped too low or overcharged that is why these are not fit to be solar power batteries.
Though used in modern equipment such as laptops and iPods, these batteries have a special circuitry that monitors the energy coming or going. For instance, your laptop stops charging once the battery is shown to be full or your iPod shuts off when the battery is too low. This is not the case in solar panels so it is better to be safe than sorry and prevent any mishaps before it happens.
Be careful with the type of solar power battery you purchase and make sure they are the right kind that can withstand the massive amount of energy coming and going from the solar panels. You should have a battery that can stand the test of time and not break or degrade easily.
