Best Alternatives to Lead-Acid Batteries

Lead-Acid Batteries Are Outdated and Inefficient

First of all, the typical lead-acid battery only has about 50% of the capacity you think it does. For example, if you have a 600 amp hour battery bank, it only provides 300 amp hours of real capacity. The more times you go beyond this 50% point and drain the batteries completely, the shorter their life cycle becomes.

Even if you are the cautious type and manage to never drain your batteries below 50%, they are typically only good for 500-1000 cycles. Frequent taps into your battery bank mean that they may need replacing after less than 2 years of use. That’s hard on your wallet and the environment!

Slow Lead-Acid Battery Charging Means More Replacements

Another drawback to using lead-acid batteries is their slow and inefficient charging. Only the first 80% of lead-acid batteries can be “bulk charged” by a smart three-stage charger; the final 20% will take much longer due to the absorption rate dropping off drastically. Not a big deal if you’re charging overnight, but if you have to leave your generator running for hours that is noisy, disruptive, and expensive. And if you run off solar, your batteries may never actually reach a full charge. Just like draining your lead-acid batteries, not giving them a full charge ages them prematurely.

Your Lead-Acid Batteries May Be Wasting Energy

The third problem with lead-acid batteries is their wasted energy. About 15% of the energy you put into a lead-acid battery doesn’t get stored, and in fact, if you discharge it quickly it loses its capacity over time. Then there is the issue of the placement of your battery bank itself, which must be placed upright and vented to the outside of your space for safety. This is not convenient for maintenance, which is also a huge concern.

Upkeep of Lead-Acid Batteries is Costly and Difficult

As you may know, flooded lead-acid batteries must be attended to regularly. They require topping off with distilled water in order to function properly. If your battery bays are difficult to access, this can be cumbersome at best. When combined with potential voltage sag that leads to failing electronics and dimming lights, it is a nightmare waiting to happen.

Zero-Glitch Power Module = Zero Headaches

By contrast, the Zero-Glitch Power Module (ZPM) is a lithium-ion battery system that has a wide variety of user-friendly and efficiency-focused features. Its intelligent control system orchestrates energy sources - including grid, local generation, and wind and solar - to manage the state of charge. This prioritization means that storage and performance are both optimized, and with remote control and analytics, you always know what’s happening with your batteries. Some more features include:

• Comprehensive graphical view of the system configuration status and historical performance.
• Bi-directional power converter (inverter/rectifier) N+1 or N+2 redundancy.
• Serviceable Load: 1 kW to 100 kW
• Energy Storage: greater than 200 Ah
• 25.5”L x 84”H x 19”W

If you would like to learn more about what batteries are best for you and your needs, check out the Lead Acid vs Lithium-ion Guide and download it for free!