When it comes to DIY solar power, there’s one component that often receives little attention – The Battery Storage system. And because of this, many people that will build their own solar panels will use the wrong types of batteries to store the power that their panels generate. This in turn can lead to some rather disappointing results that may be falsely attributed to their solar panels performance. So, before you hook up your solar panel, make sure you understand the type of battery or batteries that you’ll need to effectively and reliably store electricity.

The purpose of the battery in a solar power system is to store power that you generate and then provide that power when it’s needed. In essence, it’s a buffer of sorts. Without a battery, you’d need to use the power as you generated it, and at times when there was no sun, you wouldn’t have any power at all. This is definitely not what you want in a power supply.

Something that’s very important to battery manufacturers is what’s known as the charge cycle of the battery. Various different types of batteries are manufactured based on the many types of charge cycles. For instance, an automotive battery is designed in such a way as to provide a very large amount of current to the cars starter, and then recharge relatively slowly via the alternator. Knowing this, the battery manufacturers can design the most efficient battery that meets the charge cycle requirements. Solar panels DO NOT have the same charge cycle as automobiles, therefore auto batteries aren’t recommended for use in a solar power system.

Solar power systems typically produce a smaller amount of charging current over a longer period of time, so the batteries are slowly charged. These same batteries then provide power to run appliances and lighting, but the rate is much slower than that of the previously mentioned automobile starter circuit. So you can see, the type of battery that will be most efficient when slowly discharged is not the same as the battery that’s quickly discharged.

It should be clear now that in order to achieve the best results with the longest service life, you’ll need to use a type of battery that works well in a solar power system. The main types of batteries that are used in solar power systems are the Lead Acid Flooded type, the AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) type, and the Gel type deep cycle batteries.

If you’re just starting out, try to find some golf cart batteries. They will work well in a solar power system and you can buy them used fairly inexpensively. But if you need to rely on your power system and can afford it, it’s highly recommended that you purchase batteries that are designed just for solar power usage. Here are some excellent sealed cell batteries with AGM for smaller solar systems:

UPG Sealed Lead-Acid Battery — AGM-type, 12V, 35 Amps, Model# UB12350

UPG Sealed Lead-Acid Battery — AGM-type, 12V, 50 Amps, Model# UB12500

UPG Sealed Lead-Acid Battery — AGM-type, 12V, 75 Amps, Model# UB12750