Battery for solar power

[NOOB]

2502
Do any of you solar guys know what kind of battery to get for emergency solar power. I have a couple fold-able solar panels and I want to make my own emergency power device like the one above.
I have had mixed results with the above type units. One is still kickin after many years and few uses,newer one bit the dust after not so many years and few uses.

I figure a good battery and inverter and I just made my own with better quality parts.

[Serpo]

maybe a bit big but it is light weight...;Dhttp://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/17169090.jpg

[gunDriller]

12 volt sealed lead acid, for a 19 volt 50 watt Kyocera - just an example.

or a six volt. it depends a little on the output of the solar panel, which depends on how many junctions are stacked up to make the voltage.

if you can set up with the tools (jumpers with alligator clips at each end to help hook things up, load resistors - a bunch of 1 ohm carbon comp resistors, a cheapo Radio shack multimeter), you can measure how the solar panel outputs at different loads. from an open (e.g. 100 ohms) to a near-short (e.g. 10 1 ohms in parallel, would be .1 ohms).

this may sound like Greek but these are good things to become comfortable with.

[Glass]

A deep cycle or a dual purpose battery. Dual purpose would be a deep cycle cranking battery like a caterpillar battery. Usually big Amps.

If you discharge a battery too deeply you will kill it quickly. You need to see how low the battery you are using can be discharged. This is the deep cycle part of the equation. Once you have that don't let the battery discharge below that level and you should have long life from it.

What are you regulating with? The panels have regs on them?

[Nomoss]

I use 6 6 volt 225 amp batterys with 450 watt panels
Have not used the genset in 2 years.

[zap]

Have you tried the Trojan L-16's, when we were on a 12 volt system that's what we used. This is a really good site and they are very helpful.

http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/search.php?searchid=380666

[NOOB]

A deep cycle or a dual purpose battery. Dual purpose would be a deep cycle cranking battery like a caterpillar battery. Usually big Amps.

If you discharge a battery too deeply you will kill it quickly. You need to see how low the battery you are using can be discharged. This is the deep cycle part of the equation. Once you have that don't let the battery discharge below that level and you should have long life from it.

What are you regulating with? The panels have regs on them?


I have a regulator, but I just a have a couple brunton 26 watt foldable panels. Mainly I just want to be able to charge batterys for small electronics and flashlights in a grid down situation. I have a generator but a little solar backup aint a bad thing.