Photovoltaics, how long does the storage battery last?

Here are the factors that determine the lifetime of the PV system storage battery.

Those who are thinking of installing a storage battery to upgrade their photovoltaic system often find themselves with many doubts and many questions in their minds, including those related to the warranty and durability of the batteries.

Let’s say that batteries generally have an average warranty of 10 years.

Be careful, however: product warranty does not mean yield warranty.

The average battery life ranges from 6 thousand to 10 thousand guaranteed cycles, a number that changes depending on several factors.

How does a storage battery work?

The energy produced by a photovoltaic system, is harnessed in two ways: used immediately in the home, or sold to the electricity grid.

Immediate use is not always possible, partly because on average you can only consume 30 percent of what the system produces. The addition of a storage battery, on the other hand, can make it possible to increase energy self-consumption by up to 80%.

How? The energy produced is stored for later use when needed.

Not only that, the most advanced plants are equipped with an emergency system that can provide power even in the event of a blackout.

How long does a storage battery last?

The lifetime of a storage battery depends mainly on three factors:

the temperature at which it operates: to ensure a long life this must be between 10 and 35 degrees;
its use: the duration is evaluated in cycles, but each cycle varies depending on the use;
the material: lithium batteries last much longer.
Under optimal conditions, a battery can easily reach 15 years of life.

Then, as time passes, the battery will be able to store less and less energy.

In fact, after 18 to 20 years, the battery will have a much shorter charge life. However, this does not mean that it will stop working.

To give the idea, we could compare it to cell phones, which after a couple of years start to discharge faster. Obviously, the use that is made of the device also affects this, and the same thing happens with the storage batteries of a photovoltaic system.

So is it cost-effective to install a storage battery?

Definitely yes, because storing energy that would otherwise go unused allows you to make the most of everything your solar panels produce, bringing you ever closer to energy independence.

The expenses for the purchase and installation of the battery, which are among those facilitated by the 2022 Tax Bonuses, will be amortized within a short time because the economic savings in the bill are there, and they are obvious: in fact, the demand for domestic electricity will be met directly by the system, thus leading to a drastic reduction in the cost of consumption.

Of course, the battery capacity is sized according to the plant’s output and the user’s consumption.