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Comparative study of lead-acid batteries for photovoltaic stand-alone lighting systems

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Abstract

The lead-acid battery is often the weakest link in photovoltaic (PV) installations. Accordingly, various versions of lead-acid batteries, namely flooded, gelled, absorbent glass-mat and hybrid, have been assembled and performance tested for a PV stand-alone lighting system. The study suggests the hybrid VRLA batteries, which exhibit both the high power density of absorbent glass-mat design and the improved thermal properties of the gel design, to be appropriate for such an application. Among the VRLA-type batteries studied here water loss for the hybrid VRLA batteries is minimal and charge-acceptance during the service at high temperatures is better in relation to their AGM counterparts.

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Acknowledgments

We thank R. A. Mashelkar FRS for encouragement. Financial support from CSIR, New Delhi, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India

    B. Hariprakash, S. K. Martha & A. K. Shukla

  2. Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, 630 006, India

    S. Ambalavanan & A. K. Shukla

  3. NED Energy Ltd, 6-3-1109/1 Navbharat Chambers, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad, 500 082, India

    S. A. Gaffoor

Authors
  1. B. Hariprakash
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  2. S. K. Martha
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  3. S. Ambalavanan
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  4. S. A. Gaffoor
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  5. A. K. Shukla
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Correspondence to A. K. Shukla.

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Hariprakash, B., Martha, S.K., Ambalavanan, S. et al. Comparative study of lead-acid batteries for photovoltaic stand-alone lighting systems. J Appl Electrochem 38, 77–82 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-007-9403-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-007-9403-4

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