Empower yourself. Learn about how LiFePo Batteries work in a Solar Energy Power System
How do Eenovance Batteries work in a Solar Energy Power System?
Note that LiFePo (Lithium Iron Phosphate) Eenovance Batteries are manufactured by SunSynk.
Watch a video: Manufacturing the Eenovance Batteries
There are three essential components for an off grid Solar Energy Power System.
For explanation purposes on this page, the components required are listed in the following order: SunSynk Inverters, Solar Panels, Eenovance Batteries.
Skip down to the Battery explanation section if you are familiar with Inverters and Panels.
On this page:
About SunSynk Inverters
About Solar Panels
What are LiFePo Batteries
How much Battery Storage Capacity will your premises ideally require?
Information to send us for determining a suitable Battery Storage Capacity for your premises
About Eenovance Batteries
11 Advantages of installing Eenovance Batteries with SunSynk Inverters
Inverters
Inverters convert DC Power (Direct Current Power) from the Solar Panel Array and/or the Batteries into AC Power (Alternating Current Power) for your premises.
AC Power is the type of electricity provided by the Grid (when it is working).
In an off grid Solar Energy Power System, the Inverter replaces the Grid and becomes the supplier of the AC Electricity.
Sunsynk Inverters can also be set up in a hybrid configuration with the Grid.
In this configuration, for example, the Inverter can draw power first from the Solar Panel Array and then use the Grid to make up for any deficit.
The Inverter first uses the DC Power from the Solar Panel Array to convert to AC Power to supply the power requirements of your premises.
Whatever DC Power is unused (after the household power demand is met) then that remainder is used to charge the Batteries.
Inverters are available in a range of Power output capacities measured in kilowatts.
For example 5 kW, 8 kW, 10 kW, 12 kW, 16 kW etc.
All appliances e.g. T.V., Lights, Fridge, Freezer, Geyser, etc use power measured in Watts.
A T.V./Decoder may use around 250 Watts; a Fridge may use 200 Watts; a Geyser may use 2000 to 3000 Watts (2 to 3 kW);
Typically, a normal residential premises may be able to operate on an 8 kW Inverter but will require very careful appliance power management.
We recommend at least the 12 kW Inverter for extra peace of mind and minimal appliance power management.
For normal 4 bedroomed households the ultimate peace-of-mind will come with a 16 kW Inverter.
With a 16 KW Inverter, practically no power management of appliances will be required and one can safely add on big power consumers, for example air-conditioners, additional geysers, additional fridges and freezers, etc. without concern.
Up to 16 Inverters (of the same power output capacity) can also be paralleled to increase the maximum power output capacity.
For example 2 x 16 kW Inverters will have a collective maximum power output capacity of 32 kW.
Another factor to keep in mind when considering which power output capacity Inverter to purchase is that the higher the power output capacity of the Inverter, the more Solar Panels one can connect to the Inverter.
Read more about why this is important on the Solar Panel page.
Solar Panels
Solar Panels (Photovoltaic panels) convert Sunlight into DC Power.
Solar Panels provide a certain amount of Watts under optimum Sunny conditions. Typically we use Panels that can supply +- 555 Watts each.
The Solar Panel DC Power feeds into the Inverter which in turn converts the DC Power into AC Power to provide electricity to your premises.
After supplying the premises, the Inverter uses the balance of the Solar Panel DC Power to charge the Eenovance Batteries.
The more Solar Panels one has, the more DC Power can be produced.
Read why it is important to maximise the number of Solar panels that your premises can accommodate and that your Inverter can utilise on the Solar Panel page.
What are LiFePo Eenovance Batteries
LiFePo Batteries are electrical energy storage and supply devices. The LiFePo Eenovance Batteries consist of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo) rechargeable cells. The LiFePo Batteries are by far the most expensive component of Solar Energy Power Systems.
LiFePo Eenovance Batteries are able to store the excess power that is produced by the Solar Panels when the sun is shining.
Whilst the sun is shining, the Solar Panels produce the power that is converted by the Inverter into usable AC electricity to power the appliances in your premises.
After first supplying the power needs of your premises, the Inverter then directs any excess power into your Eenovance Batteries where the energy can be stored.
An example scenario:
The Solar Panel Array is producing 10 kW of power; your premises is requiring 5 kW at that specific time and the batteries SOC (State of Charge) is less than 100%.
The Inverter supplies the 5 kW to the premises and directs the excess 5 kW into the batteries until they are fully charged.
During the day time, if the Batteries are fully charged then the Inverter only takes what it needs from the Solar Power input to supply the premises which in this example scenario is 5 kW. The extra 5 kW is not used until the premises draws more than 5 kW.
However, at night (with no power from the Solar Panels) or on very cloudy days (with not enough power from the Solar Panels), the DC power has to be supplied (and/or supplemented) by the Batteries to the Inverter which then supplies AC Power to your premises.
Battery storage capacity is measured in Kilowatt Hours (kWh).
Kilowatt Hours is a measure of an amount of electricity stored or used.
For example, SunSynk Batteries have storage capacities of 5.32 kWh, 10.65 kWh and 15.97 kWh.
In simple terms:
a 15.97 kWh Battery can supply a 1 kilowatt device for 15.97 hours
a 15.97 kWh Battery can supply a 2 kilowatt device for 7.98 hours
a typically sized Geyser (150 to 250 litres) will consume 3 kW of power for perhaps 3 hours to increase the Geyser’s water temperature from ‘cold’ to operating temperature.
Thus, in total the Geyser would have used 3 kW x 3 hours = 9 kWh of electrical power.
Multiple Batteries can be paralleled together to form larger reservoirs of energy storage.
For example 4 x 15.97 kWh Batteries will form a combined energy storage of 63.88 kWh
Up to 16 SunSynk Batteries can be paralleled in this way.
Note that only ‘same storage capacity size’ batteries can be paralleled together. In other words only 5.32 kWh Batteries with 5.32 kWh Batteries and only 10.65 kWh Batteries with 10.65 kWh Batteries and so on…
This is an important consideration if one intends to add more batteries in future as ones budget allows. In that case it may be better to start with a 15.97 kWh Battery and add more as it becomes possible.
The total daily and monthly Power consumption of a premises is measured in Kilowatt Hours.
Typically, a 4 bedroom residential household may use between 800 to 1500 kWh per month.
How many Eenovance Batteries (Electrical Storage Capacity) will your premises ideally require?
We first determine how many appliances you have (essential and non-essential) and what their power consumptions are.
We estimate what these appliances may typically consume over the longest night (14 hours) in South Africa (June 21st – Winter Solstice).
We estimate the ideal Battery Storage Capacity so that after 14 Hours of night, your Eenovance Batteries are ideally not depleted to less than 40% to 50%.
Although LiFePo Eenovance Batteries are guaranteed to be able to perform at least 6000 cycles of going from 100% to 20% before experiencing any loss of storage capacity and performance, one can theoretically almost double the life span with careful management… by keeping the discharge…on average… to not less than 50%.
6000 cycles is at least 10 years of service. Thus one may be able to extend the optimum operating lifespan to 15 to 20 years if one pays attention to this detail of keeping the discharge to not less than 50%.
Considering that the LiFePo Eenovance Batteries are the most expensive component of your Solar Power System then this detail is very important to maximise the return on your investment.
Note that even with an ideal budget and an ideal Battery Storage Capacity, a certain amount of ‘power management’ may still be required within reason.
To minimize investment in Battery Storage Capacity whilst still enjoying the bliss of Solar Powered Electrical Energy Independence, requires ‘power management’.
For Example:
Managing the geyser’s power consumption (2 to 3 kW for a geyser) so that it is switched on only during the day time and only when the batteries are fully charged and there is adequate sun power over and above the normal power consumption of your premises… is always a good idea.
One can of course add more and more batteries so that ‘power management’ is never an issue but the cost is much higher.
Or one can invest in a good gas geyser.
The upfront costs of a good quality gas geyser are lower than a battery although the operating expenses (buying gas) will add up over the 10 to 15 year operating lifetime of a LiFePo Battery.
Managing the use of an electric stove/oven so that it is mostly used during the daytime helps tremendously.
Or one can invest in an additional gas oven/stove since that will be cheaper than extra batteries if one can only do most of ones cooking during the night time.
Operating the air conditioning and pool pump only in the daytime is essential.
Operating all other non-essentials e.g. Washing machine (especially if the water must be heated), vacuum cleaners, etc only in the daytime is a good practise.
Investing in a gas heater or only using the heater during the daytime when there is adequate power from the Solar Panel Array is a good idea.
An electric heater is one appliance that will almost never be practical to operate at night from a Battery investment cost point of view.
For example if the Heater consumed 2 kW per hour (1 heater in 1 room only) over 14 hours during a long Winter night then that is 28 kWh of electricity.
One will need 4 x 15.97 kWh Batteries just for one heater. Hardly a practical consideration.
Another far more practical consideration is to install a Heat Pump and store hot water which is then circulated through radiators in each room that needs to be heated.
The Heat Pump looks and operates similarly to an Air Conditioner except that it makes hot water instead of cold air.
The beautiful thing about a Heat Pump is that it uses only a fraction of the energy to output a considerable amount of heat. Typically a small unit uses around 860 Watts to output the equivalent of 3.2 kW whereas a normal heater uses the same as it outputs.
With a Heat Pump set up one will need to invest in a water tank as well as water radiators in the rooms one wants to heat.
Nonetheless the cost will still be considerably less than at least 4 x 15.97 kWh Batteries and the heat output is far higher and far more versatile since one can circulate hot water in more than one room.
A small heat pump using 860 Watts will easily be able to heat 4 bedrooms to be warm and cosy.
A Heat Pump using 860 Watts can run for 14 hours and only consume 12 kWh of electricity making it far more practical from a Battery power consumption point of view.
Contact Us if you are interested in installing a Heat Pump. The smallest unit costs around R20 000.
Nonetheless (speaking about heating and Winter), on cloudless Winter days, the Solar Panel Array will still produce a decent amount of usable power. For example:
If the Solar Panel Array has a maximum peak power of 13 kW then it may well still produce 80% (10 kW +) and even higher on a very cold but cloudless day.
Even on cloudy days the Solar Panel Array will still produce power (Between 10 am and 3 pm) somewhere in the range of 10% (raining with thick cloud cover) to 60% (100% clouded) which is 1.3 kW to 7.8 kW in this 13 kW example.
With power management and an adequate Battery storage capacity a household should be able to be energy self sufficient even in Winter.
Other configuration options are hybrid Inverter/Grid connections:
In this scenario, the system in inter-connected with Eskom (the Grid) and Eskom provides the shortfall if the Sun is not providing enough power and the batteries run too low OR at night when there is no power from the Sun and the batteries run too low.
One can set the batteries to stop providing power at various levels. For example one can set the system so that when the Batteries reach 50% then Eskom kicks in and provides the power to the premises. This scenario usually happens at night especially if one is using heaters.
The system is set so that Eskom only supplies the premises either when the Sun is not providing enough power during the daytime or during the night time when the batteries have reached a certain preset level (e.g. 50%). The system is set so that Eskom does not charge the batteries.
The batteries will only charge up again when the Solar Panel Array produces enough power to cover the needs of the premises and then whatever excess power is available is used to charge the batteries.
In this example (Batteries set to stop providing power at 50% capacity), the moment the Batteries start charging (in other words the power from the Solar Panel Array is more than the demand from the premises and the excess is directed into the batteries, then the system disconnects from Eskom.
Although this Hybrid Solar/Eskom setup may be a cheaper option initially than buying extra Batteries… keep in mind that Eskom intends to or is already charging a surcharge for premises that only use Eskom as a backup… so the economics may still be better to buy Batteries in the long run.
Another option (instead of Eskom) is investing in a diesel generator to make up for the shortfall. This may be a practical consideration if the shortfall is around 12 kWh per day in for example Winter.
In this scenario one would invest in a good 5 kW diesel generator (or Bigger… is better) and operate it at 60% (to maximise lifespan) to produce 3 kW and let it run for 4 hours during times of low demand from the premises.
This will usually be in the day time when the Solar Panel Array is producing enough power to power the premises but not much to charge the batteries.
Keep in mind that the Inverter will take the power produced by the generator and first power the house (if there is a shortfall from the Solar Panel Array during the daytime or if it is night time) before it charges the batteries.
For this reason careful management is required when one uses a small generator to charge the batteries. If the power demand from the premises is greater than the output capacity of the generator then the generator will get damaged.
Ultimately it will be best to purchase a 10 kW diesel generator and run it at 60% to produce 6 kW which with careful premises power management (switch off all non essentials) should be enough so that the premises never uses more and so that most of the energy can go to charging the batteries.
Our Motto about all things Solar Equipment:
BIGGER IS BETTER!!! MORE IS BLISS!!
Information to send us for determining a suitable Battery Storage Capacity for your premises
For determining a suitable Battery Storage Capacity for the needs of your premises,
Send us the following info:
— your average monthly kWh electricity consumption according to your Eskom account — make sure it is an actual amount and not an estimate.
— a list of your essential and non-essential appliances and their respective power consumption, for example:
— T.V./Decoder, Lights, Fridge, freezer, etc
— Geyser, Kettle, Toaster, Microwave, Oven, Stove, Vacuum cleaner, Air-conditioning, Pool Pump, washing machine, etc
We will advise you on the ideal Battery Storage Capacity (and the ideal size Inverter) that you may require to supply your premises with electrical power during the daytime and over night with minimal ‘power management’.
Please note that our estimates and recommendations will not take heaters into account for the reasons explained above.
About Eenovance Batteries:
Bright Future Solar offers a range of LiFePo (Lithium Iron Phosphate) Eenovance Batteries of varying power storage capacities viz. 5.32 kWh, 10.65 kWh and 15.97 kWh.
The Eenovance batteries are manufactured by SunSynk using new CATL and/or BYD Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells (LiFePo cells).
CATL and BYD are most probably the biggest and most respected LiFePo battery cell manufacturers in the world supplying the likes of Tesla and BMW.
Additionally, installing Eenovance Batteries (manufactured by SunSynk) with a SunSynk Inverter extends the Inverter warranty from 5 years to 10 years. T’s & C’s Apply.
11 advantages of installing Eenovance Batteries with Sunsynk Inverters in a Solar Energy Power System:
1. Integrated Solution: Sunsynk Inverters and Eenovance Batteries (manufactured by SunSynk) are designed to work seamlessly together, ensuring optimal performance.
2. High Capacity: Eenovance batteries offer substantial capacity, allowing you to store more energy for use during peak hours.
3. Long Cycle Life: These batteries are durable and cost-effective, with a life cycle of up to 6,000 cycles.
4. Lithium-Iron-Phosphate Technology: Sunsynk uses Lithium Iron Phosphate cells, known for safety, reliability, and performance.
5. Parallel Linking: Up to 16 batteries can be linked in parallel, providing flexibility for various dwelling types and panel configurations.
6. Built-in Battery Management System (BMS): Ensures safe operation and longevity by managing charging and discharging.
7. 80% Depth of Discharge (DoD): You can use a significant portion of stored electricity without affecting battery life.
8. Remote Monitoring: Sunsynk Connect app allows real-time monitoring, system adjustments, and energy trading.
9. IP65 Enclosure: The battery is reasonably protected against solids and liquids, enhancing durability.
10. Compatible with different Solar Brands: Works well with other brand of solar panels and inverters.
11. Industry-Standard Warranty: Comes with a standard five-year product warranty, aligning with industry norms. Additionally, installing Eenovance Batteries with a SunSynk Inverter extends the Inverter warranty from 5 years to 10 years. T’s & C’s Apply.
In summary: Eenovance batteries combine reliability, capacity, and smart features to optimize your solar energy system.
