Deep Cycle Batteries

You need to decide what you are going to do with the solar power you harvest from your panels. Most people, when they first start with renewable energy, will decide to store the electricity produced in batteries, for later use. There are various types of batteries available and you should first tally up how much power you want to store and for how long. If you just want electricity for some low power room lighting, then a single small battery will probably be sufficient. If, however, you need a week's supply for the whole house, then you would need a very large bank of batteries and this will be expensive. You get what you pay for with batteries and it is always best to buy a deep cycle type of battery, as a normal car battery is not designed for the constant charge and discharge cycling that a solar system requires. Most batteries used in renewable energy applications are the lead acid type. These come in dry and wet forms. The wet type are available as multiple or single cells and very large installations will often use many batteries of the same type. It is very important not to mix different types and capacities together.