Lecture 6

Battery capacity C: is the maximum energy capacity of the battery in terms of ampere hour ( Wh V)

Depth of Discharge DoD: indicates the energy withdrawn from a battery in percentage of the battery full capacity

State of Charge SoC: is an alternative expression for DoD (DoD = 1 – SoC)

Battery life cycle: is the number of complete charge discharge cycles before its nominal capacity falls below 80%.

Discharge/charge rate (C rating): is the capacity C of the battery divided by the number of hours X required for full
charge or discharge.

Self discharge: is the electrical capacity that is lost when the battery is not being used.

Coulomb Efficiency ηAh: It is the ratio of discharge Ah to charge Ah.

Voltage Efficiency ηV: It is the ratio of discharge voltage to charge voltage.

Energy Efficiency ηE: The energy efficiency over a round trip of full charge and discharge cycle of the battery.

Charge Controllers
A charge controller, charge regulator or battery regulator limits the rate at which electric current is added to or drawn
from electric batteries to protect against electrical overload, overcharging, and may protect against overvoltage.

1. Providing optimum charge to batteries

2. Protecting batteries against over charge/discharge
3. Preventing reverse discharge through the PV array
4. Providing information about the state of charge

Example Stand Alone Photovoltaic Inverters: Converting DC to AC

Batteries

Lead Acid Type Lead Acid Lithium Ion Sodium Flow

Primary Sulphur
Batteries Efficienc 75% - 85% reaches 95%
Batteries Lithium Ion
y Tolerates
Secondary
Batteries Price Cheapest More high
Sodium Sulphur Expensive temperatures
Batteries
To be
Lifetime Short High tested
Use Old Phones Phone Not Used
Flow Batteries
Cars Commonly

Secondary Batteries - Lead Acid Battery Performance

The battery capacity is affected by

1. Charging/discharging regime
2. DOD of the battery over its life
3. Exposure to prolonged periods of low discharge
4. Average temperature of the battery over its lifetime