| Deep Cycle Batteries | | | | you need to also install vents so the gas can be |
| Batteries used in boats, recreational vehicles and | | | | dispersed outside the enclosure. |
| electric golf carts are called deep cycle batteries. | | | | Gel Batteries |
| These differ from car batteries because they are | | | | Gel batteries belong to a category of batteries called |
| made to provide continuous power rather than just a | | | | valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA). Gel batteries aren't |
| quick burst of starting power. | | | | really filled with gel at all. These are also lead-acid |
| Deep cycle batteries, despite their name, wear out | | | | batteries, but are constructed in a way that you do |
| after many cycles of charging and discharging. They | | | | not need to add water, and no hazardous fumes are |
| are the low end of your battery options and should | | | | vented during usage or storage. This makes gel |
| be used only if you are on a very limited budget. | | | | batteries safe to use inside your home or in other |
| Industrial Strength Batteries | | | | enclosed areas. |
| Also deep cycle, but much more resistant to | | | | These are a much better option than flooded |
| deterioration over multiple charging/discharging cycles, | | | | batteries, but there is still one that is much better. |
| industrial strength batteries include these types:o | | | | Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) |
| Floodedo Gelo AGM | | | | Most experts, including me, agree that AGM batteries |
| Flooded | | | | are the best for storing solar energy. A woven glass |
| These are similar in function to older kinds of car | | | | mat is placed between the plates inside the battery. |
| batteries, but much more robust. They are called | | | | This mat absorbs and holds the electrolyte making |
| flooded because there are caps on the top of the | | | | them both spill- and leak-proof. |
| battery that you open and pour in distilled water in | | | | They are as safe as Gel batteries, but they hold their |
| order to keep the internal lead and acid components | | | | charge longer, discharge slower, and survive well over |
| wet. | | | | extended charging and discharging cycles. |
| The downside of using flooded batteries is that they | | | | If you can afford them, AGM batteries are the |
| emit a chemical gas discharge when in use. This is a | | | | preferred way to go. |
| caustic and potentially explosive emission, so these | | | | Solar energy scientists are experimenting with other |
| batteries are not safe to use inside an enclosed area | | | | high-tech ways to store solar energy. But for now, |
| such as your home, attic or garage, | | | | batteries are your best option. |
| If installed in an outside shed or weather-enclosure, | | | | |