I agree with Tom here about 2 strings. And I have been told more than a few times in the last 22 years, from battery folks that there is no substitute for lead, in terms of capacity or longevity.
Here is a comparison I worked up for a job just the other day and I’ll let you figure out which I’m recommending. Hup 6-100-33 12v 1550lbs ( includes steel case) Trojan IND 33-2v 1668 lbs ( weight for 6 of them) Rolls 2v20S33PS 1333 lbs. ( weight for 6 of them) As to the Deka making their own lead, its more of a marketing gimmick really. Just because you refine the lead, doesn’t mean its better or worse than what others are using. But does make for some good marketing. I wouldn’t touch the nickel iron. They are so crazy expensive. Yes I know some folks have had fantastic success with them, and I can tell you about many many others that didn’t. All the draw backs: hi discharge rates, hard to configure, unknown quality, etc. If I was going to go NiFE, then I’d consider lithium for sure. ( no not tesla arggg). And i have had more than a few people considering industrial batteries, that I’ve talked out of. Because I think lithium pricing and quality are going down and up respectively and you’ll save money with a interim set of L-16’s. If you get 3-4 years, I thing the price of lithium will come down in price more than the set of L-16’s and you’ll end up with a better system. Lead is heading out. But thats just my opinion. Cheers, jay > On Dec 15, 2015, at 11:34 AM, t...@wagonmaker.com wrote: > > Dan, > > That problem of no AC at remote sites while waiting for replacement batteries > is why I always recommend at least two strings paralleled through a buss bar > rather than across terminals. That way if one battery or cell fails in one > series string you can very easily remove the string from the buss without any > AC downtime at all. It reduces capacity but that's far better than no AC at > all for a month. It's also my firm belief that it extends battery life with > that configuration. > > I understand the thinking that drives the push to single string installations > but as someone who has lived off-grid for years in the past redundancy was > more important to me than the alleged "ease" of a single string. > > Tom > > > On 2015-12-15 11:04, Dan Fink wrote: >> While I also advocate single strings and minimizing parallel strings >> when off the grid, single strings have one big problem, especially in >> more remote areas and especially with 6 volt batteries - 1-4 weeks >> downtime of the whole AC side of the system while waiting for a >> replacement battery and trying to receive and then deliver and install >> it. During a blizzard, as always, of course. (got a doozy going on in >> Colorado right here right now). >> If there's a parallel string available, it's quick to rewire and >> bypass a string with a bad battery in it temporarily . And if they are >> 2v cells and only one has failed, some quick inverter / charger / PV >> controller reprogramming and bypassing that cell can quickly make a >> functionable 22v /46v battery bank that will get your client by >> until a replacement 2v cell arrives. Won't work on 12v, 10v is too low >> for most every modern piece of equipment except DC loads. >> 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 [11] >> >> On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 11:08 AM, Howie Michaelson >> <ho...@suncatchervt.com <mailto:ho...@suncatchervt.com>> wrote: >>> While I have no experience with HUP, I do have many years of experience >>> with Rolls/Surrette. They are a robust battery, and in my opinion superior >>> to Trojan and other mid-line flavors. I am not as adamant about staying >>> away from L16s as Allan, although I'd whole-heartedly agree with keeping to >>> one string wherever possible, and 2 at most. >>> Of course, going to the 2-volt batteries almost always allows for single >>> strings, and give you a much more robust battery, and are often the right >>> choice even for budget conscious clients. However, they are a much larger >>> investment and take a much more robust charging system. Sometimes it makes >>> sense to start a new off-gridder on a set of less expensive "training" >>> batteries, depending on your assessment of their learning curve, >>> motivation, and budget. >>> As with all batteries, there are occasional cell failures, likely >>> attributable to manu defects. But I've found with Rolls, this is less >>> common (except with the T12250 12-volt batteries which I have seen a >>> significant failure rate over with the years). And I have never had >>> trouble getting batteries covered under warranty from them if I determine >>> that the failure was not likely operator error. But this is probably >>> dependent upon having a good, trusting relationship with ones supplier, >>> which I've always had with RAE Battery. >>> Howie >>> HOWIE MICHAELSON >>> _NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™_ >>> Sun Catcher, LLC >>> Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service >>> VT Solar Electric Incentive Partner >>> 802-272-0004 [10] >>> On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 12:37 PM, Allan Sindelar <al...@sindelarsolar.com >>> <mailto:al...@sindelarsolar.com>> wrote: >>>> Drake, >>>> Your request is missing specifics so my answer can only be generic. Get >>>> away from all L16s. Go to one string of industrial cells. There are >>>> numerous well-respected brands. I would put HUPs at about the top. >>>> www.hupsolarone.com <http://www.hupsolarone.com/>[8]. Spend some time on >>>> this website and it will become more clear. >>>> Allan >>>> ALLAN SINDELAR >>>> al...@sindelarsolar.com <mailto:al...@sindelarsolar.com> >>>> NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional >>>> NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional >>>> New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician >>>> Founder (Retired), Positive Energy, Inc. >>>> 505 780-2738 [9] CELL >>>>
_______________________________________________ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/maillist.html List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out or update participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org
