Why Can’t I Use Car Batteries in a Solar Power System?

A simple way of explaining why you can’t use car batteries in a solar power system is that the plates are too thin. Car batteries have thin internal plates which are meant to release large quantities of energy extremely quickly and powerfully. They are great for starting a vehicle, but terrible when running a solar system where you want a slow discharge.

The deep cell battery or slow discharge battery, has thick plates to dissipate energy slowly over a long period of time. That is what you want in a solar system. Although it takes a while to recharge a deep cell battery, it holds energy much longer than a car battery would.

We haven’t quite found the perfect energy storage solution yet, but there will be real game changers in the future. Currently, lithium is making its way to the forefront but the technology is still quite expensive.