Many people hardly know the differences between marine battery vs solar battery. Aside from most people who use both batteries, differentiating the two batteries could be challenging.
Do you want to know what stands the two batteries out? In this article, we will talk about both batteries.
Table of Contents
Marine Battery vs Solar Battery
Marine Battery
Marine batteries can be called deep cycle batteries, dual-purpose batteries, or starting batteries.
The batteries comes as a hybrid deep-cycle and starting batteries and have lead sponge plates.
Marine and deep cycle are often used interchangeably or together, and can be confusing.
Types of Marine Batteries
We have three types of Marine batteries in the market. This include a deep cycle, starting, and Dual purpose or hybrid.
Starting battery
A starting battery is designed to supply an initial burst of power to get an engine running. The starting power of a Starting battery is measured by Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) which is the amps the battery can deliver in 30 seconds at 0°F.
Deep cycle battery
A deep cycle battery is designed to supply a constant and steady supply of power. This allows them to run for a long time until discharged (up to 80%) and then recharged.
Hybrid Battery
A hybrid battery is also known as a dual-purpose battery. It acts both as a Starting and Deep-Cycle battery. The battery tries to deliver high discharge currents without excessive voltage sag up.
The first thing you should know is that the most versatile marine battery comes in the form of AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries.
People who want to know if their marine batteries are AGM batteries can check the design and construction of their batteries.
AGM batteries come with a flat top, while their positive and negative terminals stick out.A battery’s reserve capacity is the amount of time required for a fully charged battery to drop below 10.5 volts while discharging.
The higher the battery’s reserve capacity the longer it’s capable of performing.
Pros
- The battery is spill proof because of its fiberglass mats. This ensures that its liquid will not be broken.
- The battery is safe to move around and has hazardous materials restrictions.
- It is shock resistant.
- The battery can work in colder temperatures, and withstand extern cold weather.
- You can install it in any orientation.
- The battery offers minimal gassing, hence you can use it in less well ventilated areas.
- It comes with a low self-discharge rate. This means that you can store it for a long time
- The battery is easily maintained and last longer
- It does not need maintenance.
Cons
- The production cost is high
- The battery is expensive
- It is sensitive to overcharging and high voltages
- The battery needs to be fully charged between use
- This battery’s charger is specifically for AGM
Solar Battery
Solar batteries come handy for people who want to power their solar panels. These batteries come with varying functionalities.
Pros
- It comes with battery backup in case you suffer a blackout
- The battery offers an improved self-reliance on a solar system
- This battery comes with load shifting for commercial energy storage
- You can save more on your energy bills when you store the power
- Some of the batteries comes with VVP programs or energy trading
- The battery can become a part of your Smart Grid Revolution
- It helps owners become less dependent on energy
Cons
- Its energy storage can be very expensive
- The battery offers an increased complexity of the solar system
- The battery can increase your maintenance for your solar
- It has a lifespan of a home battery
Why Should You Consider a Solar Battery?
Many people are using the solar batteries for their energy support. Today, we have different types of these batteries in many places.
The first thing to consider is the energy storage system. This could be a challenge to many people. Hence, you have to do your homework when buying a solar battery.
You should consider the pros and cons of the model you want to buy. This would help you learn more about the product.
What is the difference between a solar battery and a deep cycle battery?
A deep cycle battery and solar battery are similar, but they work differently. Each of these batteries come with its functionalities.
While you can use a car battery for your vehicle, it might not serve your solar problem. This means that each battery works differently.
For instance, we know that solar batteries are deep cycle batteries and they can discharge over long periods.
When completely empty, you can recharge the battery again. We have two types of deep cycle batteries for solar.
They are the lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries.
Lithium-ion battery
Advantages of lithium ion batteries
- High energy density: The battery provides you with twice the energy density of nickel cadmium.
- Low maintenance: You don’t have to spend more in maintaining your lithium ion batteries.
- Low self-discharge rate: The battery offers self-discharge rate of lithium ion batteries, which is much lower than other types of rechargeable batteries.
- Variety of types: We have different types of this battery. There are many types and sizes of lithium ion batteries.
Disadvantages of lithium ion batteries
- Requires protection: Lithium ion batteries require protection from being overcharged and completely discharged.
- Issues with aging: The average lithium ion battery can only withstand between 500 and 1,000 discharge cycles before it fails.
- Costly: Lithium ion costs about 40 percent more than nickel cadmium batteries.
Lead-acid battery
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Low-cost and simple manufacture Low cost per watt-hour
High specific power, capable of high discharge currents Good performance at low and high temperatures No block-wise or cell-wise BMS required |
Low specific energy; poor weight-to-energy ratio
Slow charging: Fully saturated charge takes 14–16 hours Need for storage in charged condition to prevent sulfation Limited cycle life; repeated deep-cycling reduces battery life Watering requirement for flooded type Transportation restrictions for flooded type Adverse environmental impact |
Can I use a deep cycle battery for solar?
Deep-cycle batteries are for off-grid or hybrid solar systems. The batteries can be completely discharged.
They are not destroyed as the normal batteries.