[RE-wrenches] Aquion Batteries

Ray Walters ray at solarray.com
Fri Jan 29 11:37:46 PST 2016


That new chart is for a single block, but we would want the M100 or M110 
which is 12 of those S30 blocks connected together (580 AH @ 20 hr 
rate).  I haven't tried them, but I penciled out the ROI and at 3000 
cycles they stand up well against other lead acid batteries. 40 v is 
low, but I believe most inverters can be set to LVD at 40.
Magnum for instance can go as low as 36 v on a 48 v  nom. setup.
I agree with Dan that the minimum temp is a problem for many remote 
applications.

R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760

On 1/29/2016 11:52 AM, Dan Fink wrote:
> I second Larry's concerns about Aquion's SOC/voltage curves and 
> tripping LVD at only 40% DOD with standard PV equipment, tied in with 
> not being able to handle high discharge C-rates and surge loads. I did 
> some math on running a typical off-grid home with a well pump on 
> Aquions, and it wasn't pretty, but I may not have done the math right. 
> Very interested to hear personal experience on off-grid homes with 
> these batteries.
>
>  I was starting to envision applications for remote MET tower, 
> repeater tower etc applications with low discharge C-rates and high 
> charging C-rates, and then saw Aquions lowest operation temperature of 
> -5C, 23 F. That's considered a "heat wave" during certain times of 
> year in many areas, including here in sunny Colorado. In these 
> applications the batteries are NOT in a heated room, instead an 
> outdoor enclosure at the base of a tower.
>
> AGMs are serving us here just fine on these sorts of esoteric 
> installations, and they have no problem with -29C and lower when kept 
> at high SOC. And, cheap, easy to replace, and giving us many years of 
> life. The ROI math on the Aquions compared to AGM is not adding up for 
> me on these applications.
>
> My only experience with Aquion was their class at the NABCEP 
> conference last year.
>
> Any ground truth experience and stories on Aquions and other similar 
> technologies appreciated here also.
>
> Best regards;
>
> Dan Fink
> Adjunct Professor, Ecotech Institute
> IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
> ~ PV Installation Professional
> ~ Small Wind Installer
> Executive Director, Buckville Energy
> NABCEP Accredited Continuing Education Providers™
> 970.672.4342 <tel:970.672.4342>
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 29, 2016 at 7:55 AM, Starlight Solar Power Systems 
> <larry at starlightsolar.com <mailto:larry at starlightsolar.com>> wrote:
>
>     I too am interested in anyone that has installed these. I had some
>     concerns back on Nov 10, 2014. Here is a copy/past from that
>     conversation:
>
>     Something does not add up to me. The cell has a voltage discharge
>     curve way outside that of RE equipment, 1.75 Vpc down to 0.5Vpc. I
>     can't see how this technology could be scaled to RE applications
>     without wasting much of the capacity. From what I see, only about
>     40% could be used before LVD.
>
>     And this:
>     The Aquion battery claims their 2.4kWh, 48 volt stack operates
>     from 59 to 30 volts. Many inverters have a LBCO of 1.75 Vpc (42
>     volts). Depending on voltage sag, that means about half of the
>     capacity of the Aquion battery can't be used. Even if the outback
>     can operate down to 1.5 Vpc, you are still not able to use the
>     full capacity of the battery unless your load is less than 800 Watts.
>
>     I have reviewed their technical presentation and it looks to me
>     like the capacity simply can't be used in the off grid
>     environment. If you can't use it, why do they rate it at 2.4kWh?
>     BTW, the Voltage vs.Energy chart on the spec sheet does not match
>     the first chart I posted.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>     On Jan 29, 2016, at 7:30 AM, Chris Schaefer
>     <chris at solarandwindfx.com <mailto:chris at solarandwindfx.com>> wrote:
>
>     To All,
>     Great insight on the lithium movement. I do am looking for anyone
>     dealing with the new Aquion batteries. I’ve got a couple of
>     potential clients that have inquired about them. Saw them at a
>     NABCEP training session last spring and while the idea is moving I
>     wasn’t impressed. Perhaps it’s time to start a new thread, “Aquion
>     batteries”.
>     Thanks,
>     Christopher
>     *From:*RE-wrenches
>     [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] *On Behalf Of
>     *don at energysolarnow.com <mailto:don at energysolarnow.com>
>     *Sent:* Friday, 29 January, 2016 00:49
>     *To:* Dan Fink
>     *Cc:* re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>     <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
>     *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] LiFePO4; WAS Availability of
>     Powerwall Batteries
>     Thanks for sharing your experience with these batteries, Dan.
>     I have similar SOC issues with an off-grid customer who has the
>     Aquion Hybrid Ion batteries.
>     It has difficulty reaching full charge from solar, requiring the
>     genny to kick on each morning even in the summer.
>     This is even worse in cold winter weather.
>     Your explanation of the change in Peukert's exponent above 80% SOC
>     with NiFe batteries sounds like what is happening here as well.
>     Do you have any experience with Aquion batteries that you can share?
>     Thanks
>     Don Barch
>     Energy Solar
>     don at energysolarnow.com <mailto:don at energysolarnow.com>
>
>
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