I have a bunch of them but have never had enough solar to even think about hooking them up. Efficiency is a problem as is the unusual voltage they run at, It just seems strange running an odd number of cells.
The Classic will handle it well but I am getting to the point where I want things to go as smoothly as possible, after 20+ years experimenting is getting tiring. Have a great day, Bob Ellison From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Larry Crutcher, Starlight Solar Power Systems Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 7:58 AM To: RE-wrenches Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Ni-Fe batteries Forever? Well, at least Edison thought they should last 100 years. As mentioned by others, inefficiency is an impairing factor in an RE system. However, due to the all time low cost for PV solar modules, these batteries can actually be a viable option. If you have the space for 40% more PV power and you have a customer willing to keep the batteries filled, the Ni-Fe battery could be the last battery they will ever buy. Imagine the grand-kids inheriting the battery bank. Of course, there are many other details for you to study and understand before diving in; don't compare these to lead acid. I have about 25 that of these that are many years old that I bought for experimenting. I have also read about an 85 year old bank that was made useable again by Peter DeMar. Larry Crutcher Starlight Solar Power Systems On Sep 25, 2012, at 11:19 AM, Jonathan Hill wrote: Anyone know anything about Nickel-Iron Batteries? We sold some many years ago but our supplier stopped carrying them. I have a client with a fairly large bank of Hawker industrial batteries; 2100ah @ 48v. He is asking about replacing them with Ni-Fe as he has heard that they will last virtually forever, or at least longer than he might. Any thoughts on this? Also, any suggestions of good suppliers? Thanks. Jonathan Hill, senior system engineer and founder Sierra Solar Systems 563C Idaho Maryland Road Grass Valley, CA 95945 Celebrating our 32nd year in solar! tech info and foreign orders: (530) 273-6754 order line: (888) ON-SOLAR (US only) FAX: (530) 273-1760 e-mail: <mailto:solar...@sierrasolar.com> world wide web: <http://www.sierrasolar.com <http://www.sierrasolar.com/> >
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