How is battery sizing done for a given application?
The use of solar off-grid energy supply is becoming increasingly popular for domestic, industrial and municipal applications. Due to the variable nature of renewable energy sources, many of the installations include an energy storage system to enable supply for peak demands and when energy generation is limited. There are alternative storage technologies but the method of calculating the battery sizing of the lead acid battery required is common to all chemistries. To ensure a system that satisfies the usage requirements it is necessary to obtain a reasonably detailed picture of the loading and run time autonomy of the battery.
How to do battery sizing calculation - how to calculate battery sizing
Allowances must be made for the efficiency of the components in the system in converting energy from the input source to the demand on the battery. For this, the size of the individual load, the total load and the individual run times are crucial factors in calculating an accurate battery capacity for the system requirement. Whether as the sole source of electricity or as a hybrid fuel supply, the characteristics of the equipment and the application need to be thoroughly understood to design and specify an effective and trouble-free installation. To provide electricity during the night, either all or in part, from a solar photovoltaic array requires batteries for storage of electrical energy.
What is battery sizing?
A meticulous approach to calculating the autonomy load will also ensure that the solar battery selection will be accurate. A correct battery specification will ensure not only a satisfactory autonomy but also a long and cost-effective battery life. The following is a guide to obtaining the detailed and correct information necessary to calculate the battery sizing required to maximise its performance, energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Summary of the method: This section provides an understanding of the overall method to provide an explanation of the methodology used to obtain the data. The detailed calculation and methods of obtaining loads and efficiencies are given in the operations section.
Improper battery sizing can lead to...
Improper battery sizing can have quick unwanted results. In large battery installations failures can happen quickly due to improper battery sizing. The resultant capacity may not be sufficient to deliver the required number of hours for a given load. It is very important to ensure battery sizing is done carefully. Microtex helps all their customers if any battery sizing needs to be done.
Microtex offer:
- Battery sizing for ups
- Battery sizing for solar system
- Battery sizing for solar array
- Battery sizing for electric vehicle
- Battery sizing for off grid systems
- Battery sizing for inverters
- Battery sizing for substation
- Battery sizing to load
how to calculate size of battery needed
- Estimation of the autonomy in hours (H)
This is the time that the battery must operate without recharging. This is designated as H Generally, there is more than one load from various devices and these loads may not be operating continuously. For these individual loads there will be individual autonomies. These will be listed separately as load 1, 2, 3 etc., with corresponding times in operation, i.e. corresponding autonomies. These individual autonomies are designated as h1, h2. h3 etc.
- Calculation of the total and average load (Lt and La)
It is important to assess the total number of ampere-hours which the battery needs to supply during its operation. However, it is also important to know the variation in loads and the type of load which is used. The load calculation can be done in 2 ways:
- Estimation from equipment rating
- Direct measurement of the load
For estimation from the component rating, it is important to know not only the indicated value but also the power factor. Many loads have an inductive element such as a TV, refrigerator or LED lights. The individual loads (in watt-hours) are designated l1, l2, l3 etc.
The nameplate rating of the load must be adjusted for its power factor by multiplying the load by the power factor. If the load is obtained by measurement then this step is unnecessary and the measured value can be used directly. The load and average load can be calculated by taking the sum of the individual loads or the maximum load measured (Lt) then dividing by the number of hours for the battery operation (H) to give the average load (La). A more accurate method is to look at the individual loads and their time of operation. To calculate the total watt-hours required, the loads are multiplied by their operating time.
The efficiency of the system
The basic principle of operation for a Solar Photovoltaic or renewable energy supply is that it has to convert power (watts) into a form which has a controlled voltage for either storage or direct use through an inverter or DC: DC converter where there is a constant voltage supply. Each operation from the power supply to the load will have an efficiency loss which must be considered when calculating the amount of energy available for the autonomous period. The total efficiency of the system depends upon the number of stages between the power supply, the load and the % efficiency at each stage.
The basic principle of operation for a Solar Photovoltaic or renewable energy supply is that it has to convert power (watts) into a form which has a controlled voltage for either storage or direct use through an inverter or DC: DC converter where there is a constant voltage supply. Each operation from the power supply to the load will have an efficiency loss which must be considered when calculating the amount of energy available for the autonomous period. The total efficiency of the system depends upon the number of stages between the power supply, the load and the % efficiency at each stage. For example, the total efficiency of a simple system without energy storage would be:
- PV array ————> DC: DC ————-> Inverter ————–>Load
Output from the solar panels x DC converter efficiency (EDC) x Inverter Efficiency (EI)= total available output.
With energy storage, the efficiency of the battery charger, the efficiency of the battery chemistry on discharge and charge must also be considered. The voltage loss through the cables is another factor to be added in for calculating the battery sizing output requirement.
- Output required from the Solar battery.
It is possible to calculate the output requirement simply from the total watt-hours required over the autonomy period using either the measured or calculated values, as explained in section 2. However, the battery sizing of the Solar system required to deliver this output requires a more detailed approach. The following parameters should be known:
- The minimum state of charge of the battery at the end of the autonomy
- The maximum state of charge of the battery at the end of the charging period
- The peak load on the battery during the autonomy period
- The time when the peak load occurs
- The voltage loss between the battery and DC load and the voltage loss between the inverter and the AC load
- Operating temperature of the battery
These maximum and minimum state of charge are important to ensure that the battery not only provides sufficient energy for the autonomy period, but also that the battery obtains the expected cycle duty and will have sufficient energy input during the recharge period to complete the duty cycle. The peak loads and their occurrence during the discharge period are important as this will cause a voltage drop.
The solar battery sizing should be done to prevent this drop, including the voltage losses in the system, from falling below the required operating voltage for the loads or inverter. The solar battery capacity will vary with temperature. The lower the temperature, then the lower the capacity. The life of the battery will also depend upon the battery operating temperature: generally, the higher the temperature the shorter the battery life. This battery sizing information regarding capacity and life will be provided by the Microtex technical team. You can contact Microtex here.
Estimation of available battery capacity using average load
The average load may be calculated by any of the methods described, which incorporate the inefficiencies, the run time, the peak loads and the time they occur during the discharge. This should be used to estimate the available capacity required by the battery. However, it is not only the total energy required that is important as it is unlikely that there will be a uniform current draw over the whole autonomy. The peak load is important particularly if it occurs near the end of the discharge period as it may cause the battery voltage to drop below the minimum necessary to operate the equipment, despite the battery having sufficient capacity to provide the total energy requirement.
Battery Sizing – Input required for battery charging
The charger should have sufficient output current to recharge the battery up to the state of charge required to complete the autonomy period. It is important to obtain the correct re-charging regime from Microtex for the type of solar battery used and also that there is sufficient time for the required recharge. It is necessary to consider the efficiency of the charger and the efficiency of the battery being charged. The charger efficiency will be dependent upon the losses due to conversion from the power source to the battery. Whether it is a transformer, switch-mode or high-frequency charger will determine the conversion efficiency.
There are further losses due to the differences between the battery charging voltage and discharge voltage which will be dependent upon the charging profile used and the percentage state of charge that the battery must reach. The energy efficiency i.e. amps x volts x time (watt-hours) must not be confused with coulombic efficiency i.e. amps x time (ampere-hours). The majority of battery companies quote only coulombic recharge efficiency in their literature. This is not a true measure of the system efficiency which should be measured in watt-hours. The Microtex technical team will advise on the charging regime and the efficiency for calculation purposes.
Battery sizing for solar
Once the output requirement is fully understood using the methodologies described, and the recharge characteristics identified, the solar battery sizing can be calculated. This is the equation:
Total watts including inefficiencies taken out of the battery = total watts including inefficiencies put into the battery.
Two more factors are the ambient temperature and the depth of discharge and recharge to provide the required cycle life and recharge time for the operation of the battery. The amount of battery capacity used can be expressed as a fraction e.g. Minimum SOC = 20% and maximum SOC = 95% the capacity fraction is 75% or 0.75. The operating temperature will provide the compensation for capacity and the DOD and %SOC will determine the battery size so that:
- Battery size = (total watts out/capacity fraction) x temperature compensation
This will give the correct battery size with no margin for error. It is recommended that there is a contingency of +5% added to this final value to ensure trouble-free operation.
