Curious of Will's and others' input on SiO2 lead crystal batteries

[70000salmon]

Silicon dioxide lead crystal batteries are sold by Azimuth Solar in West Kelowna and were twice referred to me by friends and an rv specialist. I'm not 100% sure but i think Azimuth has patented this as I can't find other sellers. It is very new. DoD is around 85-100%, similar to lithium. A 100ah 12V weighs around 60lbs but are small, About $650 CAD. And they are meant for extreme cold weather, unlike lithium. They also charge very quickly.

As I am nearly set on buying one for my 200W solar array, I would love if Will showed us the science on these. The company is hiring a marketing manager still, that's how new it is. It's local, so I've heard about it, but I'm very curious if others have, ie. Americans? Again, if Will could acquire one it would be cool to see how they compare.

For me, the DoD and cold weather are the big selling points. Seems like a great compromise between agm and lithium, but I'm no expert!

 

[ianganderton]

The technical guide for lead crystal batteries - Motorhomes, Caravans & Destinations NZ

Don't know much about crystal batteries? Check out NZMCD's technical guide to lead crystal batteries.

www.nzmcd.co.nz

 

[gnubie]

It is very new. DoD is around 85-100%, similar to lithium.

Yes, but take a look at the cycle lifetime if you take them down that far. If low temperature is a worry with lithium you can always do what a lot of people do with their lithium batteries, sit them on a low wattage temperature regulated heater pad etc.

 

[70000salmon]

Yes, but take a look at the cycle lifetime if you take them down that far. If low temperature is a worry with lithium you can always do what a lot of people do with their lithium batteries, sit them on a low wattage temperature regulated heater pad etc.

I found this: "Long lasting up to 5 times longer than AGM batteries at 50% DoD (depth of discharge). Up to 7 x longer at 80% DoD. SiO2 batteries last to 16 years at 20% DoD."

I bought one and will see how it is!! It was a decent price and it seems there is more margin for error as I am a beginner than what I would get with an AGM and that appeals to me. Plus a dealer is in my town and I cant order Battleborns from amazon in Canada and did not know how to go about getting a lithium from elsewhere. I know it's not the best reasoning but I needed to start my system asap.

 

[Forbisher]

I found this: "Long lasting up to 5 times longer than AGM batteries at 50% DoD (depth of discharge). Up to 7 x longer at 80% DoD. SiO2 batteries last to 16 years at 20% DoD

Yeah, but how many cycles at 80% DoD?
Can you find the actual cycles specs?
All this x times longer is outright dishonest.

 

[gnubie]

They claim 2800 cycles at 50% DOD. A typical lifepo4 is most of the way there at full discharge, ie you need to buy twice as many of their batteries to match the available storage in a run of the mill lifepo4.

Wind the lifepo4 back to 50% DOD and it may outlast the owner. At 20% DOD (ie leave 80% of the capacity untouched) it likely will. At these very shallow DODs a decent lifepo4, all else being equal and taken down to that level daily, would yield about 24 years of life. Will it get there? Quite probably based on lithium's established history.

Where is the EOL point for a lifepo4 often cited? 80% of original capacity, typically the same point as lead acid, ie your 100AH batery is now an 80AH battery. That may be more than enough to continue using it, in fact, there are plenty of people jumping on that 2nd hand lifepo4 band wagon on this forum, right now. While it hasn't necessarily been a smooth ride for some due to a crook cell, others have been using 2nd hand cells without issue. Some manufacturers cheat and state lower figures, so it always pays to read the fine print.

*edited to clean up wording*