Latest news, guides, and articles about battery storage. We write about lithium-ion, LiFePO4, and more.
The principal benefit of lithium ion batteries is their ability to store large amounts of energy in a relatively small space. Lithium ion batteries have the added benefit of having an extremely high depth of discharge compared to lead acid batteries. This is why lithium ion batteries are generally the only type of battery to use for energy storage.
For energy storage applications, nominal voltages of 12, 24, and 48 are used. This generally means that the batteries in the energy storage system will generally be in either a 3S (4S for LFP), 7S, or 13S series configuration. Energy storage batteries generally have an amp hour rating of 100 Ah or more, but smaller energy storage batteries can be made.
Articles in this category will revolve around long term energy storage, electrical preparation techniques, high capacity battery packs, and various series and parallel battery configurations.
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If you just want the newest material in this topic, start with the featured article below and then work down through the rest of the posts.
When lithium cells and battery packs sit unused they tend to lose a little bit of life due to degrading but it's very very little. Compared to other chemistries lithium-ion is more shelf stable and okay to leave stored for prolonged periods of time.
Picking the right cell format for your next build can sometimes be a little overwhelming. This article compares pouch and 18650 cells based on several factors. We hope this helps to pick the best cell format for your battery build.
Learning how to use a multimeter a resistor and some simple math to calculate internal resistance is crucial to knowing the health of a battery or cell. Sure there are easier options like a dedicated IR tester but if only being used for a single project they are not worth it. Calculating IR is a pretty simple process, learn it here!
When building a 7s battery it is a common issue to need to reduce 24v down to 12v for various devices. Surprisingly this is very simple to do and can be achieved in 2 ways. It's always better to reduce voltage than to boost voltage due to the losses in boosting.
When 18650 cells are put in parallel, their capacities are combined, resulting in a higher overall capacity. There is not much limit to how many you can connect together. However, it's important to use cells with similar capacities and states of charge and proper battery management systems to ensure safety and longevity.
The 21700 is larger and has a higher energy density and the 18650 cell is smaller and more widely available. The 21700 higher energy density gives it a longer run time of the two. The choice you use depends on your build's needs, with the 21700 providing more power and the 18650 is a more compact option.
Learning how to do the math to determine pack sizing before you start a build is a crucial skill to have. Sure we have our battery pack planner tool to help assist in doing this math but understanding how it works is helpful. We put together this quick article to help you understand the math behind battery capacity sizing.
Having a balancer or BMS with balancing functions is a great way to ensure safety and longevity out of your battery pack. We will cover the main reasons and the functions a balancer provides in this article.
Having a Bench Power Supply to power projects and being able to charge battery packs of all kinds is an excellent piece of kit to have. In this guide we will show you how to build your own DIY power supply and charger. You can always get an off-the-shelf one but they tend to lack features and flexibility.
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