Lithium Solar Batteries for Beginners
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.
They are also safer than lead acid (multiple protection features and non-combustible) and last 4-8X longer! Once you go lithium, you will never go back! The best lithium-ion battery chemistry for solar is LiFePO4 due to its safety and price.
They are also safer than lead acid (multiple protection features and non-combustible) and last 4-8X longer! Once you go lithium, you will never go back! The best lithium-ion battery chemistry for solar is LiFePO4 due to its safety and price.
Best value LiFePO4 12V Battery: SOK Battery
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 the SOK has been cycle tested. Here is the life cycle curve where it is cycled 3500 times! Check it out:
And the SOK is a fraction of the price of other 12V LiFePO4 batteries! Purchase it here from a USA warehouse with warranty and customer support:
12V 100Ah SOK Battery Click Here $.44 per Wh 12V 206Ah SOK Battery Click Here $.39 per Wh 24V 100Ah SOK Battery Click Here $.39 per Wh Second Distributor if links above are out of stock: 100Ah SOK Click Here 206Ah SOK Click Here European SOK Warehouse: Click Here to Purchase Note: Frequently out of stock due to high demand. |
$570 for 100Ah 12V
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Marine Environment SOK Battery
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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. Click here to order |
$1029 For 206Ah 12V
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Best Budget LiFePO4 battery:
AmpereTime
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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 that means is that these must be mounted indoors or in an insulated box. If you are in the tropics, you are set! As long as the batteries never go below freezing, these work great. If you were to lower this batteries internal temperature to below freezing, and charged quickly, it will damage itself. So it is crucial to mount these in a warm location! Besides the low temp charging issue, it is a great battery! I have used them for months in a 48V pack. It is a very well made battery that should last a long time. I have many friends who use these packs without any issue as well. 12V Models 12V 100Ah Click Here to Purchase 12V 200Ah Click Here to Purchase 12V 300Ah Click Here to Purchase 12V 400Ah Click Here to Purchase 24V Models 24V 100Ah Click Here to Purchase 24V 200Ah Click Here to Purchase 48V Models 48V 100Ah Click Here To Purchase |
$409 For 100Ah 12V
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Server Rack LiFePO4 Batteries:
Large and Budget Friendly!
(for a complete list of server rack options, click here)
Best Quality and Customer Support:
SOK Server Rack LiFePO4 by Current Connected
$.33 per Wh
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This is the only server rack battery that is user servicable. You can take this entire battery apart down to the cells in about 20 minutes. It has a stronger build quality than other server rack batteries, and the best customer support around.
The SOK has a stronger build quality than the other batteries. It also has a fantastic charge and discharge rating. If you need a solid battery that you can work on for years, this is the pack for you. Click Here to Purchase the SOK Server Rack Battery Click Here to Purchase 5X batteries (Free cables and server rack included! Really good deal) 
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Budget Friendly:
EG4 Server Rack LiFePO4 by Signature Solar
$.29 per Wh! |
These are fantastic batteries, at a fantastic price. But unfortunatley, they are always out of stock and the customer support team can take a while to respond. The documentation is also lacking.
FEATURES:
These batteries have worked great for me. But some people have had issues. The customer support always responds, but it may take a while. I highly recommend sticking with the "Pro Model" EG4 if you can. It seems to have less issues. Click Here to Purchase Budget 48V/24V/12V Model Click Here to Purchase Pro 48V/24V/12V Model (LCD Screen and Better Warranty) |
Long Lasting and Marine Grade
LiFePO4 Batteries:
Battle Born
$799 for 100Ah 12V
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Battle Born 12 volt 100 amp hour
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Good battery, but 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 Or Click Here if the link above is not working |