This article will discuss a number of different kinds of batteries that can be used with solar power and which type is the best to use. The sun doesn’t shine all the time (take for example, night) so if you are planning to install a solar power system and are going to want to use electricity when there is no sunlight, you’re going to need some method of storing the energy generated when there is sunlight. Batteries, when used in combination with with a solar charge controller, will store electricity while it is being generated by the solar panels and then let you make use of the stored energy later. So, let’s talk about the different kinds of batteries and which type is best for solar.

The first question you might have is about the newer battery technologies used in hybrid cars or laptops or ipods. There are reasons these batteries are a good fit for those devices, but as you’ll see they don’t apply to solar power systems.

The biggest advantage these newer battery technologies have is size and weight. The biggest drawback to these batteries is cost versus the older batteries. For devices like ipods, being small and light are more important than cost, so these newer technologies are a good fit in these devices.

You likely aren’t going to be carrying your solar power system around with you, however. On the other hand, you are going to want as much capacity as you can afford. For this reason, cost per amp/hour of capacity is a lot more critical than being small or light.

When it comes to best cost for capacity, the king of battery technology is plain old sealed lead acid batteries. The battery in your car is sealed lead acid. Sealed lead acid batteries will be 50-25% the cost of the newer battery types for similar capacity. Sealed lead acid batteries are rugged, cheap and safe.

In most solar power systems you will find 12v sealed lead acid batteries. The most common voltages for home solar power systems are 12, 24 or 48 volts. Any of these voltages can be conveniently generated by tying together the right number of 12 volt batteries in series. You can then begin to increase the number of appliances you can supply electricity to and also increase the amount of energy you can store by combining the groups of batteries in parallel.

Since you are using 12 volt batteries, a 12 volt solar charger is perfect. The charger will make sure the voltage going to the batteries is correct, and will prevent overcharging.

In order to power appliances you usually plug into the wall with batteries (or solar panels) you will need a power inverter. To mix power from your batteries and from the power company, or to sell excess power back to the power company, you will need a grid tie inverter. If you don’t care about tying into the grid, or plan to live entirely off grid, a regular power inverter will work just fine and will also cost less than a grid tie inverter.

So there you have it. For a home solar power system, tried and true older battery technology is best. Sealed lead acid batteries are the best choice for home solar power systems.