Shopping for some solar batteries? Trying to decide what battery chemistry makes the most sense? Look no further, browse our collection of ALL the best solar battery brands below.

What is a deep cycle solar battery?

A deep cycle battery simply means it was designed to handle repeated charge and discharge cycles at rapid rates. The biggest difference in a deep cycle battery vs a car battery for example, is the fact a car battery is designed to provide a short, quick shot of power in order to crank start a vehicle’s engine.

Deep cycle batteries are not designed to handle the cranking start of an engine. So on a boat for example, you’d want to keep a standard battery for starting engines and then get some deep cycle batteries for running things like lights, stereo, tv, fridge etc.

Deep cycle batteries are most commonly found in golf carts, forklifts, boats and other electric vehicle applications. This is why they are commonly referred to as “golf cart batteries”.

Is lithium the best type of deep cycle battery? 

There are a few different types of deep cycle battery chemistry’s. The older style deep cycle batteries were known as flooded lead acid (aka wet batteries). The newer style of these are known as seal lead acid - the most popular of which is AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries.

Then there’s lithium. Lithium deep cycle batteries are known to be the best option currently available on the market. They last twice as long as an AGM, weigh less than half as much and require no maintenance or attention. Commonly referred to as “drop in” replacements for your old deep cycle batteries because they are super simple and easy.

That said, they are the more expensive of the two deep cycle battery options. But a lot of people are starting to realize that with lithium, you buy once, cry once and are set for upwards of 10 years. Whereas with AGM or other lower quality types of deep cycle batteries, you’re looking at more of 5 year lifespans.

What does the battery voltage mean?

The most common version of deep cycle solar batteries are 12 volts. That said, you can also get 24V or 48V deep cycle batteries. Whichever option you decide to go with, you’ll need to ensure you inverter matches the voltage of your battery bank.

What is the difference between series & parallel battery connections?

When connecting deep cycle batteries together to make a “battery bank” we have two options. Series or Parallel. 

Series = Increases the voltage of each battery. So for example, 2 x 12V batteries in series is now a 24V configuration (and 4 x 12V batteries in series would be a 48V configuration).

Parallel = Increases the amperage. So 2 x 12V batteries in parallel stays as a 12V configuration (regardless of how many batteries you add).