A lead acid battery system may cost hundreds or thousands of dollars less than a similarly-sized lithium-ion setup - lithium-ion batteries currently cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 including installation, and this range can go higher or lower depending on the size of system you need.
Battery storage is becoming an increasingly popular addition to solar energy systems. Two of the most common battery chemistry types are lithium-ion and lead acid. As their names imply, lithium-ion batteries are made with the metal lithium, while lead-acid batteries are made with lead. How do lithium-ion and lead acid batteries work?
While it is normal to use 85 percent or more of a lithium-ion battery’s total capacity in a single cycle, lead acid batteries should not be discharged past roughly 50 percent, as doing so negatively impacts the battery's lifetime.
This is because lithium is lighter than lead, and lithium compounds have a higher voltage than lead compounds. Lithium batteries also have a longer lifespan, as they can be recharged many more times than lead-acid batteries without losing capacity.
Lead-acid batteries have been around for over 150 years and are the most commonly used type of battery. They are made up of lead plates, lead oxide, and a sulfuric acid electrolyte. The lead plates are coated with lead oxide and immersed in the electrolyte.
In summary, the total cost of ownership per usable kWh is about 2.8 times cheaper for a lithium-based solution than for a lead acid solution. We note that despite the higher facial cost of Lithium technology, the cost per stored and supplied kWh remains much lower than for Lead-Acid technology.