Applications
Photovoltaic power supply of:
! Power plants of remote villages
! Signal Installations of the air-, sea-, road and railway
transport
! Radio relay stations of telecommunication services
! Cellular roadside and roof top transmission / repeater
stations
! Street & garden lighting
! Hybrid power supplies
Batteries have terminal options to meet the multitude of connection
requirements.
Haze SOLAR are all SLA - VRLA Industrial Monobloc units, eliminating
the need for maintenance and the possibility of acid spills.
EMC
tested
CONSTRUCTION - SOLAR Gel battery construction is as shown in the diagram.
The positive and negative grids are cast from a calcium/ tin lead alloy to reduce grid
growth and corrosion. The active material is manufactured from a high purity lead
( 99.9999% ) to minimize the negative effects of impurities.
Separator is manufactured by world leaders in the field, utilizing the latest German
technology. The base material is a microporous duroplastic exhibiting excellent high
temperature stability and mechanical strength, resulting in very good resistance to
vibration and mechanical shock. The integrity of the battery will be maintained under
extreme conditions.
The purpose of the separator is to maintain a constant distance between the positive
and negative plates, totally eliminating the possibility of short circuits whilst allowing
the active materials to fully react with the gelled electrolyte.
The separator also has an open construction, which allows little resistance to the flow
of the electrolyte during filling.
A thin layer ( typically 0.4mm) of non-woven glass mat is an integral part of the
separator and is placed against the positive plate for improved surface contact.
ELECTROLYTE FILLING -
The battery
design and construction negates the
need for electrolyte addition and the
battery remains maintenance free
throughout its design life.
Gelled
electrolyte is introduced to the cell by
means of custom-built vacuum filling
machines; vacuum cycling is utilized
after the filling process.
CHARGING CHARACTERISTICS
Solar installations can occasionally have limitations on their ability to charge
batteries due to unfavourable weather conditions, for this reason charging
voltages should optimise the charge time available and higher currents are
ideal to “ RAPID� charge the battery.
The charging current may vary from 0.01 to 5 times I10 but the charging
voltage should be restricted to 2.3 to 2.4 VPC.
Daily discharge below 0.2 C100 - 2.30-2.35 VPC
Daily discharge above 0.2 C100 - 2.35-2.40 VPC
( Based on 20 0C)
If the monthly average temperature is below 10 oC the charging voltage should be increased by 0.03V
per oC.
Each battery technology has its advantages and disadvantages, it is therefore important to
choose the right battery for the application.
For SOLAR applications GEL technology is without doubt the right choice, the price premium
is easily off-set by the life and cycle expectations for this demanding application subjected to
high and low temperatures, unpredictable charging, daily cycling, probable partial state of
charge discharges.
Advantages of Gel Batteries:
! Full recovery from deep discharge, even when the battery is not recharged immediately.
! Ideal for repeat cycling daily use.
! Excellent performance over long discharges
! Good tolerance to higher temperature applications
! Improved resistance to freezing
! Suitable where mains power is unstable
! Zero stratification due to immobilized electrolyte
! No equalization charge necessary
! Reduced self-discharge
! Limiting design protects the positive plates to greatly improve cycle life
! Thicker plates for reduced grid corrosion and increased cycle life
! Improved charge acceptance due to low internal resistance
! High resistance to water loss with the right charging set up
! Ultra stable polymer separator with glass mat for increased performance
! High resistance to shorting due to superior mechanical strength of the polymer separator
! Increased tolerance to poor charging parameters
! Can be discharged even when full recharge has not been achieved, without loss of
battery capacity
Advantages of AGM Batteries:
! Lower initial cost when compared to equivalent power Gel
! Ideal for starting and stationary applications
! Superior performance for shorter duration / higher current discharges
! Smaller size battery can be used for higher rate discharges.