We only supply LifePo4 batteries. There are no advantages to lead/acid in the context of energy storage for a home. What you buy will be controlled by your needs. Bear in mind that in winter, solar panel output can be as little as 10% of what it is in summer. The sun not only shines much less and less intently, but even more important for far fewer hours. It is almost impossible to have too much storage. A small genset is a wise investment that also reduces how much storage you need. Your hybrid inverter will automatically start your generator when the voltage falls below a chosen voltage level.

The other major consideration is your consumption. In a solar home, cooking and heating should both be anything but electric – gas for cooking and wood for heat are ideal. Lighting consumes very little, but computers and TVs are more greedy (150w). A fridge/freezer is on almost all the time so drains the batteries at night. There is an Electricity Consumption Forecaster available as a FREE download. We hope you like it.

Conventional looking batteries have a maximum 48v capacity of 2400w and you can connect up to 4 together to reach 9600w. That will be enough for many users but it is no longer always the cheapest solution. There are attractive 5 and 10Kw batteries purpose built for domestic energy storage that are made for us in China. They are a less expensive solution that we prefer.