Solar batteries are storage devices used for storage of energy harnessed from sunlight by solar panels to enable use of solar systems at night and when sunrays are not intense enough for solar panels to generate electricity. Solar batteries are also used in power back up system to store energy from grid power, wind power or diesel generators, which is used during blackouts. No battery means no backup power. They are either lead-acid, lithium-ion, Nickel batteries or super capacitors and are of various capacities and voltages.
Solar batteries work through chemical reations that cause flow of electrons through an electrolyte. Lithium ion batteries work by moving lithium ions through an electrolyte in the battery. Ions are particles that have gained or lost an electron moving the lithium ions from an anode to a cathode produces free electrons, that is electrons that have been released from lithium atoms. Accumulation of these free electrons is how batteries charge and store electricity. When you discharge the electricity stored in the battery, the flow of lithium ions is reversed, and process is repeated and you can charge and discharge lithium ion batteries thousands of times.
Lead-acid batteries use sulfuric acid as the electrolyte which contains charged ions of sulfate and hydrogen. Sulfate ions are negatively charged, and the hydrogen ions are positively charged. Sulfate ions move to the negative plates and discharge their negative charge. Electrons flow from the negative plate of the battery, and back to the positive plate. The positive terminal accepted by the positive plates. Lead dioxide reacts with the hydrogen ions and forms water. The lead reacts with sulfuric acid to form lead sulfate.
Lead-acid batteries are the most common type in solar system and are the oldest in terms of whan they were invented. They are much cheaper than the other type of batteries. They can be either sealed or flooded. Sealed or valve regulated lead acid batteries have the electrolyte, sulphuric acid, dissoled in a gel where as the flooded ones have caps that can be opened and water that has evaporated can be topped up.
Lithium ion batteries consist of four main components these are the cathode( made of metal oxide)the anode (made of carbon) the electrolyte (a lithium salt in an organic solvent) and a separator.
The nickel cadmium batteries are solar batteries that use nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes.
