Pakistan is a country that is blessed with countless resources that can bring us a revolution of growth and prosperity if used effectively. Our country’s placement on the globe gives us the place to have the perfect climate to grow countless crops, benefit from renewable energy, gain from the beautiful sights through travel and tourism, and above all, the country’s climate has blessed us with solar energy – The cost-effective solution to grow towards sustainability and better energy consumption. However, to keep up with the benefits of this natural resource, the most crucial thing is how we optimize it, are we maintaining the systems? And is the solar battery protected?
The importance of solar battery maintenance is way more than what we recognize; it extends the life of your system, produces better and purer energy, saves you costs and keeps your life with solar energy consumption happy and content!
Let’s dig into the details of why we think fully protecting solar batteries can save you time, energy, and money!
What Is A Solar Battery?
The concept and power of solar panels are strong enough to revolutionize the world of energy; it has brought drastic changes to the trends, bringing ease to people with costs and consumption. However, it can only benefit you until the sun shines. And that is when solar batteries come to the rescue!
Solar batteries are an energy storage system designed to store the energy generated by solar panels until a household needs it. Once the power is needed, it can be pulled down from the solar battery to power our households. Solar batteries used to be too large and inefficient to be practical within a domestic setting. Still, thanks to technological advances, they are now a practical solution to storing solar power.
Learn more about solar batteries and their durability here: How long do solar batteries last?
What are the Key Steps in Solar Battery Maintenance?
Everything needs a backstory, a support that keeps it running smoothly and effectively. Like fuel for automobiles or food for humans. Similarly, for a solar system to generate performance and to be able to store power, it needs solar batteries.
Before you begin to work on your solar batteries, learn the 3 common solar inverter problems and solutions to avoid any damage.
The solar battery should always be kept maintained and running for the long life of your solar panels and for you to have a smooth flow of energy without any disruptions.
Here is how you can make the most out of your solar battery maintenance:
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Cleaning and Inspecting Terminals
To keep anything working efficiently, you have to keep it maintained and, most importantly, clean. Cleaning solar batteries is important because any accumulated dust and debris on the battery can delay or negatively affect the working and efficiency of your electrical connections and may cause excessive heat. Unclean batteries are a potential damage to your solar system.
How to clean solar batteries:
- Disconnect the battery first, and ensure to cut off its power.
- Use a mild soap to clean the battery gently; avoid harsh chemicals.
- Look for any corroded areas on the connectors and terminals; these might be green or white. Use baking soda and water to clean it off.
- Completely dry out your battery with a dry cloth before you plug it back in.
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Checking Electrolyte Levels (Flooded Batteries)
Flooded batteries must always be inspected for their electrolyte levels; if the levels of the lead-acid batteries go out of their decided range, it can cause damage.
How to maintain electrolyte levels:
- Check each cell of your solar battery once every month, and ensure that the electrolytes cover battery plates completely.
- Adding distilled water to the cells in which levels are low can prevent damage. (do not use tap water to avoid contamination)
- The electrolytes should never exceed the decided level, as they need space for gas expansion during charging.
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Monitoring State of Charge (SOC)
Monitoring the state of charge of your solar battery is more important than any other part; it involves measuring the voltage levels, temperature and current of the battery. Charging solar batteries is important, but keeping track of the state of charge is necessary.
How to monitor the SOC:
- To measure the state of charge of your solar battery, first of all, remove it from the connection at least 6 hours before you begin to measure. Otherwise, the voltage values may fluctuate, giving you a false reading.
How To Store Solar Power In Batteries
Batteries are by far the most common way for residential installations to store solar energy. When solar energy is pumped into a battery, a chemical reaction among the battery components stores the solar energy. The reaction is reversed when the battery is discharged, allowing current to exit the battery.
In Conclusion
Solar batteries are a useful innovation in the might of solar systems; these help in producing more energy and saving you at times when there is no hope of generating new energy. To protect your solar batteries, all you have to do is be mindful of the risks, know the requirements of your batteries, solar plates, and cells, and have some efficiency in solar battery maintenance!
Go Green With Feroze Power!
The one core mission on which Feroze Power makes no compromises is sustainability. The company vastly promotes clean and renewable energy resources, contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of climate change. Feroze Power’s projects benefit the country and help make Pakistan’s future more safe and secure.