Battery Life in Grid-Tie Systems [RE-wrenches]

[Windy Dankoff, Dankoff Solar]

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Kurt,

Clive said:
>... Plates have to expand to
>get the chemical reaction to start.
>Cell performance improved after several deep cycles.

I just spoke with Surrette Battery Co. They confirm the need for deep 
cycling before the battery will perform to full capacity. They say to 
expect 70% on the first cycle, increasing to 90% after about 10 
cycles, and about 30-40 cycles to gradually reach 100%.

My experience with RV and golf-cart batteries has been that the first 
cycle appears to yield only about 50% capacity, and then it improves 
gradually with cycling. I tell customers that it's like stretching 
out a new balloon before it will blow up to full size. My advice for 
off-grid has been to make a deliberate attempt to perform one deep 
cycle initially (after topping off), and then let nature take its 
course after that. That seems to do the job from what I've observed.

For backup service however, more deliberate cycling may be advisable.

This is an immediately measurable factor -- therefore, battery 
manufacturers should be able to advise for their specific batteries. 
I suspect that batteries that are specifically designed for backup 
service may have less break-in requirement.

Windy

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