Battery Storage - Lifespan and Replacement

[marmott2334]

HI All,

I have PV panels which were installed in 2014.

I am considering installing battery storage, but I have a number of questions......

 

What is the life span of the batteries? I have been quoted LPF batteries.

Are these batteries recyclable? 

What would the cost of having these batteries replaced be? I know it is a difficult question to answer as it would be at least 10-15 years from now, but I am just wondering if the replacement cost of the batteries would be similar to the initial cost? 

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, marmott2334 said:

...

What is the life span of the batteries? I have been quoted LPF batteries.
..

 

Welcome.

Life-span? What have the manufacturers / installer claimed the life-span to be ? 

[Bancroft]

1 hour ago, marmott2334 said:

What is the life span of the batteries?

Car EV batteries are generally said to decay by 1% per year so I would have thought that would be a good figure to start with.

 

Recycling?  I asked this question to a friend who is in the EV car world and he said yes.  There is a cascade of ways they get re-used (eg they go from car to static storage, then to less important storage facilities etc until finally broken apart for parts) and I imagine that the options for re-use and re-cycling is only going to grow.

 

Costs generally seem to be coming down - at the same time as efficiency is going up.  So the chances are in the future you'll probably pay the same cost but have something 2-3 times more efficient.

[Nickfromwales]

Solarwatt are offering a guaranteed 80% minimum capacity at year 12. About as good as it gets. 
Also, afaik, they’re the same cells that they’re using in the cars (Solarwatt is owned by the folk who own BMW) so should be very robust.

Any manufacturer should have a statement for recycling / end of life practices etc so just ask whoever you decide to go with for their info / policies. 

[SteamyTea]

34 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Solarwatt are offering a guaranteed 80% minimum capacity at year 12. About as good as it gets. 

Is there any mention of charge/discharge percentage and the total number of cycles?

[Nickfromwales]

53 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Is there any mention of charge/discharge percentage and the total number of cycles?

Unlimited throughput, rest of info I will try and link in a bit  I've got the bumf just need to find it in the mountain of emails I have!

[JohnMo]

3 hours ago, marmott2334 said:

What is the life span of the batteries? 

Really depends on how many times you cycle the battery, if charge and discharge 3 times a day, the batteries likely to last 1/3 as long compared to a battery charged discharged once a day.

 

Laptop and phone start off great, the longer you keep them, the worse they get for battery life. No

 

You really need to assess your life style, energy and usage patterns. A battery makes great use of excess PV and it's great for any time of use tariff.

 

We are on just E7 and our average cost per kWh in March and April was 5p. So based on our usage we save £150 by having battery and PV in one month. This year so far is just over £500 saved. 

 

10 years time, would hope battery technology has moved well past current tech, so who knows the price. My first flat screen TV was £6k, similar now £200.

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, JohnMo said:

My first flat screen TV was £6k,

We all needed our heads examining....lol....as my 1st 42" plasma was £4-figures too. (I'm too embarrassed to say what I paid for it ), died pretty quickly and was buried at sea   

[JohnMo]

10 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

We all needed our heads examining....lol....as my 1st 42" plasma was £4-figures too. (I'm too embarrassed to say what I paid for it ), died pretty quickly and was buried at sea   

Still have ours - not been switched on for a few years. But being plasma I could possibly heat the house with it.

[SteamyTea]

Instead don't have a TV, 31 years without one now.

 

[Nickfromwales]

20 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Instead don't have a TV, 31 years without one now.

 

Are you a mad cat lady?

[SteamyTea]

3 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

you a mad cat lady

No, just realised that you could download porn via the internet, on demand.

Oh how I miss dialing up a Nigerian number on my old 9600 baud modem.

[Nickfromwales]

Another unpredictable digression. We’re a diverse forum., if nothing else 🙃

[SteamyTea]

1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said:

We’re a diverse forum

As long as we don't get Reform involved, we can be as diverse as we like.

[Nickfromwales]

11 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

As long as we don't get Reform involved, we can be as diverse as we like.

Or just lock you in the cooler with pocster.....

[SteamyTea]

18 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Or just lock you in the cooler with pocster.....

@Pocster shrivels to a walnut when he is not in the West Undies blazing sunshine.

[marmott2334]

On 07/05/2025 at 11:23, ToughButterCup said:

 

Welcome.

Life-span? What have the manufacturers / installer claimed the life-span to be ? 

They give a 15 year guarantee. That is the biggest one that I have seen. 

Others are about 10 years. 

I'm guessing that the batteries should last at least 15 years, perhaps 15-20 years??

[joth]

1 hour ago, marmott2334 said:

They give a 15 year guarantee. That is the biggest one that I have seen. 

Others are about 10 years. 

I'm guessing that the batteries should last at least 15 years, perhaps 15-20 years??

Lifespan will be much more than this 10-15 years, it's just the capacity reduces. (Same as PV the peak power degrades over time).

So a 10 year guarantee normally guarantees something like 90% capacity remaining. I expect the 15 year guarantee wording says 85% capacity remaining.

If you have space and dno approval it makes more sense to plan to add additional battery in a decade or whenever, rather than replace.