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Solar & battery

Solar Battery Bank Calculator

Wire a battery bank in series and parallel to reach a target voltage and capacity.

Your numbers

$

Result

Batteries needed 12
In series per string 4
Parallel strings 3
Bank capacity 14.4 kWh
Bank cost $3,840
12 batteries: 4 in series to reach 48 V, with 3 strings in parallel. That gives 14.4 kWh for about $3,840.

Series raises voltage, parallel raises capacity. Every battery in a bank should be the same make, model, age and state of charge, because the weakest one sets the behaviour of the whole string. More than three or four parallel strings of lead acid is generally discouraged, since current shares unevenly between them.

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Questions

About this calculator

Series or parallel?

Series adds voltage and keeps amp hours the same. Parallel adds amp hours and keeps voltage the same. Energy in kWh is the same either way; the wiring and current are not.

Can I mix old and new batteries?

No. The bank performs like its worst cell, so a new battery added to an aged string is dragged down to match and both wear out sooner.

The formula

series = target volts / battery volts; strings = target kWh / capacity per string

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