Short on Time? Here’s The Article Summary

This article aims to simplify solar energy concepts for beginners, focusing on 6-volt batteries and their performance in solar systems. It explains the relationship between voltage and charge, emphasizing that the voltage indicated on a battery is not constant but changes based on its charge level. The article discusses the role of batteries in storing solar energy for later use and explains how solar panels, inverters, and batteries work together to power appliances. It highlights the importance of understanding battery discharge rates and provides charts for 6-volt lead-acid batteries to illustrate voltage levels at different capacities.

Different types of batteries, such as flooded lead-acid and lithium-ion, are compared in terms of cost, performance, and lifespan. The article suggests lithium-ion batteries as a durable and efficient option despite their higher cost. Overall, the article serves as a beginner's guide to understanding solar energy components, their functions, and how to choose the right batteries for a solar setup.

Introduction

We’re on a mission to make solar simple and accessible for everyone, even the most basic beginners. Our 6-volt battery voltage chart will help you understand how your 6V batteries perform over time in relation to their charge.

While a 6-volt battery is probably smaller than most standard residential solar systems, it’s a good place to start if you want to understand the basic concepts of the relationship between voltage and charge.

Most batteries come with a standard voltage indicated somewhere on the device. It’s understandable that, if it says it’s a 6-volt battery, you could expect it to discharge 6-volts for the entire time it’s charged. Unfortunately, that’s not really the case. Because of the relationship between voltage and current expamined in Watt’s Law, as the value of one changes, so does the other.

Why does this matter and how can you figure out what the real voltage of your 6-volt battery is? That’s what this article aims to explain.

We’ll also explain the different options you have in terms of battery types, and which might be best for you. Stay with us to learn more and simplify your journey to solar.

How Do Solar Batteries Work?

Batteries are arguably one of the most important parts of your solar power setup. They allow you to use the power of the sun even when it's not shining. 

Your solar panels contain photovoltaic, or PV cells. These cells trap and store the sun’s energy, which is why your panel needs to be positioned correctly. They should be in a spot that gets sun for most of the day so that you maximize their ability to absorb energy.

So now you understand that your solar panels are only responsible for trapping the sun’s energy. How does this power become electricity and make it to your appliances? This is where your inverter and batteries come in. 

Your panel is connected to an inverter through a series of wires that should be professionally installed. We recommend this because you want to know that your setup is installed properly and will last.

If you try to do it yourself, your upfront costs will be cheaper, but you risk damaging your setup and some elements of it in the long run.

Once your solar panel is connected to your inverter, the power it creates using the sun’s energy is stored in the batteries in your inverter. 

Depending on the capacity of your batteries, you can store a specific amount of electricity used to power your home. Your battery stores the power as DC electricity, and your inverter converts it to AC electricity for use in your home.

Understanding How Voltage Changes Over Time

The voltage of a battery changes over time in relation to its charge. This means that the more charged a battery is, the higher the voltage is.

The voltage of a battery when it’s fully charged is actually higher than the voltage on the packaging. The voltage on the packaging is usually what you can expect it to be when the battery is near depletion. In other words, you’re getting more power than you expected!

The voltage will gradually decrease as the battery loses charge. The exact rate at which the battery voltage decreases depends on the type of device it’s powering and the type of battery it is.

If you’re powering a large device with your inverter, the batteries will lose voltage much faster than if you’re just charging your phone with it. 

If your battery is a sealed lead acid battery, you can expect it to discharge at a rate of about 5% per month if you use it moderately. This means that its ability to provide its full voltage depletes over time if you’re not careful about how often you use and deplete it. Have a look at our deep-cycle lead-acid battery voltage chart to learn more.

Lithium-ion batteries are slightly less sensitive and more durable. You can safely discharge these to around 30% of their capacity, whereas a lead acid battery can only safely be used to around 50% of its capacity. They discharge at a slower rate than sealed lead acid batteries.

6V Battery Voltage Chart

Our 6V battery voltage chart illustrates how a battery loses voltage as it loses charge. As we mentioned earlier, it’s beneficial to understand how your batteries discharge so that you know how many things you can safely power with them.

This chart illustrates the discharging of a sealed lead acid battery.

How Fast Do Batteries Recharge?

So now that you can see the relationship between battery charge and battery voltage, you might be interested to know how quickly your battery will recharge. If you’re looking to get the highest voltage possible out of your battery, you’ll want to know when it’ll be fully charged so that you can do so.

The first element impacting how fast batteries recharge is the sunlight your solar panels are exposed to. This is the source of power, so if you have a few cloudy or rainy days, you can expect your batteries to recharge much slower than usual.

The next element to consider is how depleted your battery is. If a battery becomes completely discharged, you’ll need to give it between 10 and 15 hours to recharge. It’s best to not use your battery at all while it’s recharging if this is the case.

What Are Flooded Lead Batteries?

There are a few types of lead batteries. They’re called gel cells, absorbed glass mats, and flooded lead batteries. 

Flooded lead batteries are commonly used inside inverters, so if you have an inverter, there’s a strong chance you have one of these batteries in your home. If you’re looking to buy an inverter, you might buy one of these batteries.

These batteries aren’t the best on the market in terms of power, but they are the cheapest option. They’re the cheapest to manufacture, hence their cheaper sale price. 

They’re also quite heavy, so this is something that you should keep in mind if you’re looking for something lightweight. About 40% to 60% of the weight of a flooded lead battery is attributed to the lead plates inside it.

Flooded Lead 6V Battery Voltage Chart

Seeing as this type of battery is so popular, we’ve created a separate battery voltage chart dedicated to showing you the relationship between charge and voltage in a 6V flooded lead battery.

You’ll notice in this chart that the maximum voltage capacity of a flooded lead acid battery is slightly lower than that of the sealed lead acid battery. The difference is however negligible because it’s such a small amount that there is no tangible difference in their performance. 

So what’s the difference between a flooded lead acid and a sealed lead acid battery? We’ll explain below.

Which Batteries Are Right for Me?

A flooded lead-acid battery has removable caps at the top, whereas a sealed lead-acid battery doesn’t have these openings. 

The biggest difference between the two is cost. Flooded lead-acid batteries are quite a bit cheaper, which is why they’re such a popular choice. As long as your batteries and inverters are installed properly, there’s no danger in using flooded lead batteries that aren’t sealed at the top. 

Another reason people gravitate towards flooded lead-acid batteries is that they have a deeper life cycle. This means you can run them a little lower in terms of percentage, and run a lower risk of degrading the battery’s overall life. 

We believe that lithium-ion is the best way to go. These are the newest types of batteries available, so while they do cost a little bit more, they’re also the hardiest batteries on the market. You can run them to as low as 30% without needing to worry about degrading them.

Have a look at this lithium-ion battery voltage chart to understand them a little better.

You can also have a look at our 24V lithium battery state of charge chart if you want to learn a bit more about how your batteries charge. Understanding how your battery charge gives you the power to determine how much power you can drain from it on a cloudy day.

Need Some Help?

If all of this feels a bit overwhelming, we’re here to help. We know that making the move to solar means you have so many different components to consider, and so many new things to learn.

We believe that staying on top of the newest and most accurate information is one of the best ways to keep your solar system running for years to come. Not only that, it can also save you hundreds of dollars by circumventing electricians and technicians by empowering you to do some basic maintenance yourself.

If you’re still interested, have a look at our voltage chart for 12V deep-cycle batteries if you have a bigger system than the ones in this article. We also have a Battle Born voltage chart specifically for that brand of batteries, which you can also find in our shop.

We’re on a mission to make solar simple, and we’re available at any time to give you guidance, help you choose the right components, or even direct you to a complete solar kit that works for your needs. Our DIY home solar panel kits are a great option.

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