Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (also known as LiFePO4 or LFP) are a sub-type of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. LiFePO4 offers vast improvements over other battery chemistries, with added safety, a longer lifespan, and a wider optimal temperature range.
Let’s explore the many reasons that lithium iron phosphate batteries are the future of solar energy storage. Battery Life. Lithium iron phosphate batteries have a lifecycle two to four times longer than lithium-ion. This is in part because the lithium iron phosphate option is more stable at high temperatures, so they are resilient to over charging.
In this paper the use of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries for stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) applications is discussed. The advantages of these batteries are that they are environment-friendly, provide high safety, show long cycle life and hence relatively low lifetime costs.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries contain phosphate salts instead of metal oxides, which have a substantially lower risk of environmental contamination. Safety. Perhaps the strongest argument for lithium iron phosphate batteries over lithium ion is their stability and safety.
The longer lifespan of lithium iron phosphate batteries naturally makes them better for the earth. Manufacturing new batteries takes energy and resources, so the longer they last, the lower the overall carbon footprint becomes. Additionally, the metal oxides in lithium-ion batteries have the dangerous potential to leach out into the environment.
When needed, they can also discharge at a higher rate than lithium-ion batteries. This means that when the power goes down in a grid-tied solar setup and multiple appliances come online all at once, lithium iron phosphate backup batteries will handle the load without complications.