The most common mistake made when sizing battery banks is not having accurate load information. If manufacturer’s data is not available for a particular load, steps should be taken to measure actual power use instead of making a guess. Small mistakes can have a big impact, causing the end user to eventually lose power and potentially require a replacement battery bank sooner than expected. Since most battery based renewable energy systems are off-grid and all power will be generated and stored on-site, it’s critical that the designer understand the nature of the loads the system is designed to run.

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