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Batteries are essential when it comes to power storage systems. Numerous kinds of batteries are available, and they all differ in their chemical construction and working capacities. Power outages are inevitable therefore having a reliable battery in your secondary power system is essential.
The unit which indicates how much energy is used is kWh or kilowatt hour. The running time of the battery is directly proportional to the hourly consumption. Since the description may sound confusing, let’s try to understand it with an example.
Suppose you have a 10kwh battery. The battery’s running time is the battery’s capacity over the hourly use (10kWh/1000watts). But which factors affect the power consumption of batteries? Does increasing the battery capacity increase the running time? Here is a quick overview of all the essential things.
How Long Does A 10kWh Battery Last?
The detailed explanations will seem senseless if the prior understanding of a 10kWh battery is vague. Let’s try to understand what a kWh means.
kWh measures the electricity consumption per hour. However, batteries are not recognized in kWh units standardly. Some household owners like to search for them that way. A 10kWh battery ideally works for 10 to 12 hours if the hourly consumption is 1000 watts.
Similarly, if the hourly consumption is more like 1500 watts, a 10kWh battery will last 6 hours. Hence, it is essential to regulate your power consumption during an outage.
Factors Which Influence the Running Time of A 10kWh Battery
In addition, to the hourly consumption, some other factors also affect the battery’s performance. It is essential to analyze them to pinpoint the reason which is affecting the performance of your backup system.
Temperature
The temperature is one of the most underrated but essential things affecting a battery’s performance. The internal mechanisms of a 10kWh battery are constructed for operating in a specific range. If the battery gains more than the optimal temperature, its charge-retaining capacity reduces to 30%. To ensure the optimality of the temperature, place the batteries in a ventilated space, so they heat up less during operation.
Overloading
Operating too many appliances on your battery will disrupt its functioning resulting in low performance. Therefore, you must use only the optimal number of devices with a battery. If you want that battery to last long during a blackout, connect the essential appliance to reduce the overall power consumption.
The Battery’s Age
Regardless of the superiority of the battery’s consumption, it wears and tears. All batteries drop their charge retention capacity after some time. However, the endurance differs in different battery technologies. For instance, lead batteries lose their charge-retaining ability within months. In comparison, lithium-ion batteries have more shelf life.
Component Usage
Many users make the mistake of using incompatible components with their 10kWh batteries. Although the batteries function correctly at first, their performance decreases over time. Therefore, it is essential to use connectors and switches that come with the battery to ensure maximum efficiency.
The Bottom Line
A 10kWh battery is sufficient for fulfilling daily household needs. It also makes a suitable pick during power outages lasting 10 to 12 hours. However, the hourly power consumption rate dictates the battery’s running time.
In addition, to the power consumption, other factors like temperature, battery age, and components attachments also affect the overall performance. Therefore, operating the batteries at a lower level than their maximum capacity is essential to ensure longevity.
