Lithium Batteries for Beginners
(I Make A Commission For Purchases Made Through The Links Below)
The lithium batteries below are considered "Drop-in Lead Acid Replacement" because you can use them with standard 12/24/48 volt solar charge controllers/chargers/inverters and more. Simply hook them up to your system in the same way you would a typical lead acid battery.
These lithium batteries out perform lead acid in every regard (even price!) and once you buy one, you will never go back.
These lithium batteries out perform lead acid in every regard (even price!) and once you buy one, you will never go back.
Best value LiFePO4 12V Battery: SOK Battery
$570 for 100Ah 12V
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This battery has the components of a $1000+ LiFePO4, at a fraction of the price. I have not found a better battery w/ warranty for the price of the SOK. Check out these stats:
And it is well engineered! It is a tank of a battery, and can handle abuse for years. And it is a fraction of the price of other batteries! Buy the battery direct from SOK for a cheap price: 100Ah SOK Battery Click Here $.44 per Wh 206Ah SOK Battery Click Here $.39 per Wh Note: Frequently out of stock due to high demand. Every shipment gets sold out in a week. Second Supplier: Click Here to Purchase And the SOK has been cycle tested. Here is the life cycle curve where it is cycled 3500 times! Check it out:
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Marine Environment SOK Battery
$1029 For 206Ah 12V
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If you live near the ocean or plan to build a mobile system that needs to survive a rugged environment, check this pack out.
Same cells and BMS as the classic SOK that everyone loves, but encased with a water resistant case. Over the years I have said that the original SOK might not be the best idea for high moisture environments because the case is made of steel. If you were to scratch the paint, you may have rust. No longer is this a problem. This pack is only available for pre-sale at the moment, but should be in stock very soon. Click here to order |
SOK on Steroids: BestGo Packs
$.42-$.53 per Wh
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Very similar to the SOK, but with some additional features:
So overall, they can do everything that a battleborn can do, with more features, at a fraction of the cost. I am surprised my viewers did not go crazy for these packs. They are some of the highest quality packs I have tested! The larger packs are MUCH cheaper than the smaller ones. Notice the decrease in cost when you buy the 5.12kWh size pack: 12V 200Ah 2.56kWh ($1,360, or $.53 per Wh): Click Here 12V 400Ah 5.12kWh ($2,200, or $.42 per Wh): Click Here 24V 100Ah 2.56kWh ($1,360, or $.53 per Wh): Click Here 24V 200Ah 5.12kWh ($2,200, or $.42 per Wh): Click Here 48V 100Ah 5.12kWh ($2,200, or $.42 per Wh): Click Here |
Budget battery without low temperature charging protection:
Ampere Time
$759 For 200Ah 12V
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If the SOK is out of stock, this is the next best budget battery. But it is lacking a basic safety feature: low temp charging protection.
What this means is that you need to keep the batteries warm 24/7. If you try to charge these batteries when they are cold, they will be destroyed instantly. You will have permanent degradation, and it will not be safe to use. If you buy a victron solar charge controller (click here), you can program a low temp charging protection feature. You will need to buy a temp sensor for the controller to enable this function: Click here Or you can mount the batteries in a warm location and you will be set. As long as these batteries do not reach any temperature below 32 degrees F, you will be good to go. Besides the low temp charging issue, it is a great battery! I did a full tear down and it was really nice inside. A very well made battery that should last a long time. Click here to purchase 12V 100Ah Click here to purchase 12V 200Ah Click here to purchase 12V 300Ah |
Signature Solar 48V/24V
GYLL or EG4 battery
$.29 per Wh!
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These are fantastic batteries, at a very cheap price. But unfortunatley, they are always out of stock. I plan to have a stack of these connected to my system in the next month or so. The build quality is fantastic:
Cells are UL Listed and designed for over 7000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge. This means well over 15 years of use even if you deep discharge it EVERY DAY! Features 99% Operating Efficiency vs 80% for AGM batteries. This is like adding 20% to your solar panels! BMS is a 15YR design life, replacement/spare BMS are available. FEATURES:
Click here to see all EG4 packs that are currently available Click here for the 24V EG4: Click Here |
Energetech Solar Battery - Large Systems only!
$.38 per Wh
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These things are huge!! I am running a 10kWh model on my current system, and it works great. Comes with heavy duty cables that can handle 350A, and the max charge and discharge rate is 120A. They are using UL approved CATL LiFePO4 Cells. They have either a 10 or 20 year warranty depending on which pack you buy.
The only downside is that the 10/13.4kWh models are heavy! Watch your back and use a handtruck to move them. The 5/7.5kWh are much easier to move around. They can be mounted vertically on a wall if you wish. Click Here for the 5kWh Model Click Here for the 7.5kWh Model Click Here for the 10kWh Model Click Here for the 13.4kWh Model |
Long Lasting and Marine Grade
LiFePO4 Batteries:
Battle Born
$950 for 100Ah 12V
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Battle Born 12 volt 100 amp hour
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Good battery, but pretty expensive. If you want something that works great for years (or decades), buy this battery. I have not heard of a dissatisfied battle born battery buyer. It just works. I would go with the SOK/Ampere time battery above unless I needed a sealed battery, for marine application. The battleborn has the best case and terminals around, and can handle high moisture environments. It is also ideal for high vibration systems, such as RV's and vans.
These are safe to parallel connect in chains (to increase capacity of your system) with standard battery cables. If you plan to power large loads, you will need multiple batteries (for each 1000 watts required, use 1 battery. Example: 4500 watt load will require 5 batteries wired in parallel). Click Here to buy it directly from Battle Born $.70 per Wh Click Here to buy it on Amazon.com If you plan to use the battle born in freezing temperatures, there is an optional 12v heater pad. Click here |
Battle Born GC2
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Same stats as the model above, but this battery can be connected in parallel with bus bars. If you have a large bank and plan to use solid copper bus bars to attach everything, use this one.
Click here to buy the GC2 $.81 per Wh |
24 volt Battleborn Batteries
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Battle Born 24 volt 50 amp hour
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
Click Here to buy it directly from Battle Born $.78 per Wh |