What’s the difference between low voltage battery and high voltage battery in a home solar system?
Battery systems are a great addition uses both low voltage batteries and high voltage batteries to a home solar system . Battery systems can store solar energy for use when the sun isn't shining, and they can also be used to buy energy from the grid when the cost per kWh is low. A common question we get asked is which type of battery is best for a solar PV system. There are two main types of batteries: high voltage (HV) and low voltage (LV). Today, we will discuss the difference between HV and LV batteries and help you decide which option is right for you.
What voltage of the energy storage battery is required to select a low voltage battery or a high voltage battery?
Voltage, also called potential difference or voltage where is the difference on charge between two points in an electric field. To greater the energy difference between these two points, the greater the voltage. Voltage is measured by volts (V), named after a physicist Alessandro Volta came from Italian, who also inventing the battery.
To select correctly a low voltage battery or a high voltage battery is more important. Higher voltage means more electrons flow through the electronic equipment. However, electronic equipments are designed to work with different voltages. Too much voltage will damage the circuit of equipment, while too little voltage will reduce performance.
The analogy between voltage and current and your energy storage battery system is...
A common analogy to explain voltage, current and resistance is a water tank connected to a hose. In this analogy, the water tank represents charge and the water pressure represents voltage and the water flow represents current.
The more water in the tank, the higher the charges and voltages. When the tank is full and the hose is turned on. As the water level in the tank decreases, the pressure at the end of the hose decreases, and the flow of water decreases.
A energy storage battery system can be thought of as a water tank that stores remain solar energy. When the tank is full, the pressure at the end of the hose is high, which is analogous to the voltage of the energy storage battery. As the battery is discharged, the voltage decreases, and the pressure at the end of the hose decreases as well. This also results in a decrease of charge for the battery, as there is now less water in the tank. The amount of water in the tank is analogous to the charge of the battery. As the amount of water decreases, there is less pressure and flow of water through the hose, which is analogous to the current in the battery.
For the use of low voltage battery
Low voltage batteries typically have the voltage of below 100 volts. They can be paralleled at 48V, 51.2V, and 96V.
For low voltage batteries have smaller voltage, they also have smaller power. They also discharge energy slower, which can make it difficult for them to start-up loads. That means the low voltage systems often require additional assistance from the grid or solar panels to supply instant power. This is one of the major drawbacks of low voltage battery system.
However, low voltage systems are much easier to install and upgrade. They can be easily connected in parallel, provided that the rated voltage is compatible with the inverter. They also tend to have a smaller physical footprint and are cheaper and safer in some ways. Commonly, they can be compatible with most single phase inverters or AC-coupled systems, such as the LFPWall and PowerRack 5000 LV.
Caused that the low voltage batteries have a higher current, which allows they to run continuously without overheating. This results making the power supplies more cooler and faster charging times.
Although low voltage batteries require more connections to provide more power, also they are a good option for off-grid systems and users who need a large capacity with medium to low energy needs.
However, a low voltage or high voltage battery systems are not just about the battery your option. The inverter also plays an important role. Each inverter has a battery voltage range , which indicates whether it can be used with a high voltage or low-voltage battery. Most single phase hybrid inverters that are rated at 48V or above can compatible with LV batteries.
The high voltage batteries
High voltage (HV) energy storage battery systems are a relatively new technology in the solar energy storage system. They offer several advantages over low voltage batteries, including a higher discharge rate, faster charging times, and greater efficiency.
HV batteries are typically rated at around higher than 140V even to 510V, which allows them to deliver more power to loads that require a quick charge or discharge of energy that such as electric motors and appliances. They can also be charged and discharged more quickly than low voltage batteries, which makes them a good choice for your system that need to store and release energy frequently.
On the other hand, advantage of high voltage batteries is that they are more efficient than low voltage batteries. This is because the DC bus voltage in an HV system is typically around 144-510V, which is much higher than the voltage of an LV system. This means that the inverter does not need to work as hard to convert the DC voltage from the battery to the AC voltage that is used by the residential energy storage system or the industrial commercial energy storage system.
All results of these advantages, HV batteries are a good choice for home using or commercial using with high energy demands. They are also a good choice for systems ,which such as Ground HV or Ground Eco and that need to store and release energy quickly, such as backup power systems. Generally , they can handle with most 3 phase hybrid inverters.
So which energy storage battery system is right for your project ?
Hopefully , by this article you would have gained a more in depth insight into the difference between high voltage and low voltage energy storage battery system. You will see that even though there is a rise in HV batteries, most inverter brands will provide users with both options. As it is really what solution is fit for purpose. If you are an Europe home owner looking to install the best solar energy storage battery system, get in touch with our serve team. We are Batterlution Ltd. have over 10 years of experience battery energy storage solution provider both High voltage and Low Voltage solar battery systems for your residential and commercial solution .