How Long Do Home Solar Batteries Last?

Jul. 08, 2024

How Long Do Home Solar Batteries Last?

Whether it&#;s to keep critical loads running during a power outage or to strategically offset demand charges for a less expensive electric bill, solar storage can be extremely useful to solar owners. Solar batteries offer free energy generated from your solar system at the time when you need it most.

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However, investing in a solar storage system will cost money upfront. Before you make the decision to install solar batteries, you should first understand how long they&#;ll last, and how frequently you&#;ll need to replace them.

In this blog, we&#;ll take a look at the lifespan of a solar battery, and we&#;ll discuss the factors that impact how long your solar battery will last.

How Long Will Solar Batteries Last?

Most solar batteries on the market today will last somewhere between five to 15 years. While that is a significant amount of time, you&#;ll likely need to replace them within your solar system's 25 to 30+ year lifespan.

Factors That Determine the Lifespan of Your Battery

You may be asking why this is such a varied range. There are a couple of factors, including the type of battery you install, how often you use the battery, and where the battery is stored, which significantly impacts how long the battery lasts.

How Often You Use the Batteries

You&#;ve probably noticed that your laptop or smartphone battery won&#;t last as long between charges after a couple of years. A fully charged battery may have lasted 12 hours when it was new. Now, it lasts three.

This is frustrating, but it&#;s inevitable when it comes to batteries. The more often you charge and discharge your battery, the less time the charge will last. After a certain amount of cycles, your batteries will no longer be able to store and discharge enough energy to make their use worthwhile.

That&#;s why the number of years batteries will last vary so greatly. It&#;s not based on how many years they&#;ve been installed but instead on how often each solar owner uses them. If you have an off-grid system that uses battery power each night, your batteries won&#;t last as long as if you had a grid-tied system that only uses your batteries when the power goes out.

One way to help encourage your batteries to last longer is to pay attention to the manufacturer&#;s recommended depth of discharge, or DoD. DoD is the percentage of the battery&#;s stored energy you use. For example, your battery&#;s capacity is 13.5 kWh, and you use 10 kWh of its charge. The depth of discharge would be 74%.

DoD is important because pushing your battery beyond its recommended DoD can significantly shorten your battery&#;s lifespan. Manufacturers will assign each battery type a recommended maximum DoD.

The Battery Type You Install

Three types of batteries are commonly used in solar storage: lead-acid, lithium-ion, and saltwater. Of these three options, lithium-ion batteries will last the longest. They also tend to offer the best storage capacity but likely won&#;t be the least expensive option.

However, with the anticipated cycle length several times that of other options, the extra money could certainly be a worthwhile investment, saving you money in replacement costs down the road. Lithium-ion batteries also have a high DoD rate, often up to 80%, meaning you&#;ll be able to use more of your stored energy without harming the battery.

The other popular option today is lead-acid batteries. For years, their relatively low price and high watt-hour capacity have made them a mainstay in off-grid solar systems. Compared to other options, however, they last for far fewer cycles, meaning their lifespan will be the shortest.

Lead-acid batteries also have a lower DoD rate - sometimes between 30% and 50%, meaning you can only use a portion of the energy that&#;s stored in the battery. While they may be less expensive upfront, you&#;ll likely have to replace them more frequently which could cost more in the long run.

Saltwater batteries, the third option, are a newcomer on the market. Instead of using corrosive materials, they use salt to store and discharge energy, making them extremely safe and easy to recycle. Saltwater batteries will likely last longer than lead-acid batteries, but likely won&#;t last as long as lithium-ion batteries. They also have relatively high DoD rates, similar to lithium-ion batteries.

Another thing to take notice of when choosing a solar battery is the warranty offered by the manufacturer. Many manufacturers will guarantee their batteries for a specified number of cycles, or a specific time period, meaning you won&#;t be on the hook if you end up with a product that isn&#;t up-to-par.

The Environment in Which the Batteries are Stored

Neither a hot nor extremely cold environment is ideal for batteries. If you&#;re able to store the batteries in a garage or basement, or a part of the building that&#;s out-of-the-way and somewhat temperature-controlled, your storage system can last longer than if you had the batteries exposed to the harsh elements.

In warmer temperatures, the chemical reaction in the batteries will happen more quickly, which decreases the battery&#;s lifespan by increasing the wear and tear on the battery. In extreme cold, the electrons slow down, and the chemicals won&#;t last as long as they typically would, meaning the battery will drain much more quickly.

In general, lead-acid batteries are more sensitive to temperatures than lithium-ion. Many manufacturers recommend keeping lead-acid batteries around 40°F to 80°F. Lithium-ion batteries can handle temperatures slightly below 0°F and are often okay if temperatures are high as 140°F. However, storing them in a more temperate environment is still advisable.

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Saltwater batteries will perform best at temperatures above roughly 23°F and below 104°F, giving them a slight edge over lead-acid batteries. However, they are not quite as hearty as lithium-ion batteries.

Battery Lifespan Summed Up

With a five to 15-year expected life, solar batteries will likely have to be replaced at least once over the 25- or 30-or-more lifespan of your solar system. But by taking the proper care when using your battery, opting for quality products with good manufacturer guarantees, and installing the battery in a climate-controlled location, you can rest assured your battery will last a long time.

While batteries have become more affordable in recent years, they will still likely require a significant investment. It&#;s important to us at Paradise Energy that you make the right decision and end up with a solar storage system that meets your unique goals. If you&#;re interested in a battery backup system, feel free to reach out to us with the button below.

In the meantime, make sure to sign up for our four-part video series on solar batteries.

Guide to Solar Batteries: Are They Worth It? (July )

All solar batteries have the same basic function, but each type is suited for different applications. Your solar battery will offer higher reliability and return on investment when its chemistry is suitable for the application at hand.

For example, some electricity consumers are subject to higher kWh prices at certain times of the day, or additional charges for sudden peaks in consumption. In this case, you need a battery bank capable of delivering large amounts of electricity in a short time. Lithium-ion batteries are suitable for this task, but not redox flow batteries.

Regardless of the battery type, you also need to consider the depth of discharge (DoD), which indicates a battery&#;s usable capacity. The service life of a battery can be drastically shortened if you exceed the DoD, or you can even cause permanent damage. For example, using 70% of the stored energy is acceptable with a solar battery rated for 80% DoD, but not a 50% DoD battery.

Lead-Acid

Lead-acid batteries are an established technology, commonly used by off-grid solar energy systems in remote locations. Lead-acid batteries are affordable and have a well-established supply chain due to their popularity, so you can easily find vendors and technical support.

In spite of their low cost, lead-acid batteries have some technical limitations you should consider:

Lead-acid batteries typically have a charging life of 500 to cycles.
Batteries should be fully recharged after each use, or the lifespan is drastically reduced.

An absorbed glass mat or AGM battery is an improved version of the traditional lead-acid battery. They can charge faster while having a spill-proof design and more durability. You can also find AGM deep cycle batteries that are designed for 80% DoD.

Using lead-acid batteries along with solar panels requires charge controllers to sustain a suitable charging current. These batteries should not be wired directly to your solar array, or your system may be damaged by excessive current.

Lithium-Ion

Lithium-ion batteries have become very popular in recent years since they can achieve synergy with solar panels and wind turbines. For example, the Tesla Powerwall and Enphase IQ are two types of lithium-ion batteries commonly used in home solar applications. You can also find smaller lithium batteries from brands like Renogy and WindyNation, which are portable and better suited for DIY solar projects.

Lithium iron phosphate or LFP batteries are a subtype of lithium batteries, characterized by a superior service life. The best LFP batteries offer a service life of over 4,000 cycles at 80% DoD, which means they can last for over 10 years on a daily charging cycle. This makes LFP batteries the ideal complement to solar installations. Unlike lead-acid batteries, which need separate charge controllers, many of the lithium battery models that are commercially available come with built-in chargers and controls.

The main drawback of lithium-ion batteries is the high price, but this could change in the near future &#; the U.S. Department of Energy is targeting a 90% energy storage cost reduction by . Lithium batteries can also suffer a phenomenon called thermal runaway when used at high temperatures, which causes them to catch fire. You can prevent thermal runaway by making sure your batteries are high-quality and installed by qualified electricians.

Nickel-Cadmium

Nickel-cadmium batteries are characterized by their durability, tolerance to high temperatures and simple maintenance needs. Thanks to these performance features, nickel-cadmium batteries are popular in industrial and utility applications. Unfortunately, cadmium is highly toxic to humans, so nickel-cadmium batteries are not recommended in homes.

Flow

Flow batteries store energy by separating positive and negative electrical charges in chemical solutions, which are stored in separate tanks. When these two solutions interact, they undergo a reduction-oxidation reaction (redox) and the battery releases energy. This battery technology is also referred to as &#;redox flow&#; for this reason.

The main disadvantage of redox flow batteries is their space requirement, and they are not cost-effective for small-scale projects. Even a small redox flow battery system can be the size of a shipping container, so using flow batteries in home solar systems is not viable.

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