Energy storage

There are many different types of batteries on the market. This is the case because there is no single type of battery that is superior in all applications. Each type of battery has uses different combinations of materials that have different advantages and disadvantages. All battery designs have to balance the following characteristics:

• Cycle life (life span)
• Cost
• Specific energy (energy capacity relative to size)
• Specific power (power capacity relative to size)
• Safety
• Performance under variable conditions
• Maintenance

A battery may have a long life span and be able to handle large loads, but it will have large and heavy or cost too much. A battery may be able to supply lots of power and be realtively small in size, but it wil not have a long lifespan. A battery must therefore be chosen based upon the particular application. A radio needs a different batter than a PV system. Small-scale PV systems with batteries typically rely upon lead acid batteries. Lead acid batteries are a good compromise between all of these different factors.

Characteristics of batteries

Cycle life

Cycle life is the number of charge and discharge cycles that an energy storage device can provide before performance decreases to an extent that it cannot perform as required. Cycle life is depends on a variety of factors: how much energy is withdrawn from the battery each cycle (Depth of Discharge)

Depth of discharge

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