Determining the most precise battery capacity and voltage is very significant when deciding on the perfect battery for your needs. The process is quite analytical, and you will also do some math.
When you have the right battery capacity figures, you can meet your power demand accurately. Because of your proactive evaluation, you won’t oversize or undersize your battery. That means seamless battery performance and great productivity in industrial applications.
You’re at the right place for guidance in battery capacity and voltage matters. We’ll also walk you through the most common battery applications and other factors considered in a battery.
What Exactly is Battery Capacity (Ah) and Voltage (V)
These two quantifiable battery terms altogether influence the battery’s energy even though they are distinct. Therefore, it’s great that you understand battery capacity and voltage before learning the nuances of figuring out the necessary amounts.
Note that battery capacity is the amount of charge or electric current a battery can generate through chemical reactions, store, and deliver in a certain duration. With regard to the units of measurement, Ah (or mAh for small batteries) denotes the charge in amperes or milliamperes the battery can supply to an electricity-reliant device in an hour before it runs out of charge.
Using the battery capacity numbers, you can deduce how long a battery can power an appliance or device. It also tells you the size of the battery.
As for voltage, measured in volts (V) and defined in the simplest way, it is the force aiding the flow of electricity out of the battery through a device. Technically, it’s the potential difference between the positive and negative battery terminals that produce the push for current flow.
Relationship between Battery Capacity and Voltage
Both battery capacity and voltage determine the total electrical energy stored, as demonstrated by the following formula:
Energy (Wh) = Battery Capacity (Ah) X Voltage (V)
When we talk about a battery's energy, we mean the total amount of electricity in watt-hours (Wh) that the battery can provide. Thus, you can also fathom the sufficiency of power by finding out the electrical energy in the battery over time. For instance, a battery with 2200 Wh can power a 200-watt gadget for approximately 11 hours.
However, not all the electrical energy stored reaches a connected device, as there are energy losses during the flow of current. No battery is 100% efficient because of self-discharge, temperature effects, and internal resistance, which are natural occurrences.
The Most Common Personal Battery Applications
Batteries easily complement portability while using a couple of small to medium-sized gadgets mentioned below. Knowing the various applications helps a newbie familiarize themselves with situations in which batteries are used and, from that, realize that every battery application consumes a different amount of power.
Battery-based Power Back-ups
Most ordinary power backup systems rely on batteries to store power that runs a machine when the mains electricity suddenly goes off. Like the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) in homes and offices, batteries are the most prevalent power storage solutions. When the utility power is back, the battery recharges.
Even many hybrid power backup systems have the battery as the main component. As the primary source, it delivers power before additional sources like generators and wind turbines chip in when the battery’s energy depletes.
Household Gadgets
We have items in our houses that are useful only with a working battery. These include alarm/wall clocks, wristwatches, shavers, remote controls, torches, headlamps, portable radios, electric toothbrushes, and handheld vacuum cleaners. Similarly, most toys for our children need batteries.
Smartphones and Laptops
Every smartphone and laptop fully depends on a battery based on their portability. Batteries are the heart of laptops and smartphones, keeping the phone on and reliable. Without battery power, these gadgets are redundant, as no other power-generating device can take the place of a battery in smartphones and laptops.
Digital Cameras
In modern times, most digital cameras use batteries. Features like the lens, processors, and Wi-Fi connectivity consume power to run. Batteries also allow photographers to be mobile and capture photos anywhere, anytime, as long as they carry extra rechargeable batteries.
Automobiles, Watercraft, and RVs
Cars have relied on batteries to ignite the engine since time immemorial. Also, today’s electric vehicles and motorcycles depend heavily on batteries as their fuel source.
Extending to marine vessels like boats, ships, and RVs (recreational vehicles), batteries are not only starter batteries. There are also in-house batteries that power lighting, refrigeration, kitchen appliances, TVs, and any systems onboard requiring electricity.
Medical Devices
Certain medical devices require batteries to function, such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, hearing aids, and smartwatches that monitor heartbeats, blood pressure, and stress levels. Batteries are used in these devices because they provide instant, uninterrupted power during their runtime.
Selecting the Right Capacity and Voltage
Here is how you can calculate and ascertain the correct battery capacity and voltage for your person-specific applications.
Step 1: Identify All the Battery-Reliant Applications
First, with paper and pen, list down the devices and appliances requiring battery power. As you do that, consolidate those that will consume power from the same battery separately from devices that individually use their own battery.
For example, a UPS or any power backup system has several appliances connected to it. Therefore, you have to collate these devices when calculating the total power consumption from the UPS battery. Conversely, a gadget like a digital camera only needs its own battery, which is not shareable with other devices.
Step 2: Determine the Energy Consumption
From there, look at the power consumption of the devices in terms of wattage. Usually, it’s labeled on the device, or check the manual. Then, sum up the total power consumption of the devices connected to a particular battery. If it’s one device, just write down the wattage.
Giving an example, you want a single battery to power the fridge, TV, and light bulbs in your RV. The refrigerator has 300W, the TV 150W, and the light bulbs 50W; this will be a total of 500W.
Then, decide the runtime, which is the amount of time you want the battery to serve the devices, for example, 6 hours. From this, you can calculate the energy consumption:
Energy (Wh) = Power (W) X Time (h)
Total energy consumption (Wh) = 500W X 6h = 3000Wh
Step 3: Check the Voltage of the Battery
Decide the voltage of the battery you desire to use. You can also check the voltage of the batteries on your bucket list. Common voltage values are 12v and 24v, though there are batteries with higher or extremely low voltages.
Also, ensure the devices' operating voltages are compatible with the system’s voltage so the battery can operate safely and efficiently. These voltage ratings are in the product specifications or user manual.
Step 4: Determine the Required Battery Capacity
Let’s say, with a battery choice of 12V, and using the formula:
Battery Capacity (Ah) = Total Energy Consumption (Wh) / Battery Voltage (V)
Then, the battery capacity you need for this application will be:
Battery capacity (Ah) = 3000Wh / 12V = 250 Ah
So, for these devices requiring 250 Ah battery capacity, you will select a 12V battery equivalent or exceeding the 250Ah capacity. Basically, that’s how easily you can find out what battery capacity and voltage you need for your application.
Other Considerations When Choosing Battery for Your Application
Once you know what battery capacity and voltage you need, open your mind to these other considerations to have an easy time with your new battery during its service.
Battery Chemistry
When buying a new battery, check the chemical composition. Batteries can be lithium-ion, lead-acid, or nickel-type. While this may not seem like much chemistry, it heavily determines how long the battery lasts, its capacity, and its performance.
For instance, lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density than nickel-based and lead-acid batteries. Hence, for the same battery capacity, lithium-ion batteries are lightweight, but the rest have to be heavier due to their higher chemical content. So you realize that they are much more affordable regardless of their bulkiness.
Battery Life and Longevity
We always want to get the most out of the money we spend on things over the course of their time in use. You ought to approximate the battery's lifespan by checking the life cycle of the battery you’re interested in buying. The higher the life cycles, the longer the lifespan.
It’s not just about the lifespan before replacement arises but how long it can work optimally before it starts to degrade. Even the manufacturer’s warranty hints at the length of time the battery performs 100% without any anomalies.
Tolerance to Extreme Weather
This plays a big part in battery performance, specifically battery capacity. So, be smart enough to choose a battery with a strong weather tolerance.
In extremely hot weather, the battery heats up, and the electrochemical reactions speed up, causing the battery to swell. On the flip side, super cold environments freeze the electrolyte, slowing the release of charge and impeding the battery capacity.
If the battery is for outdoor use in extreme-temperature areas, you will consider creating weather-tolerant housing for the battery.
Size and Weight
The size and weight of the battery really define how portable the battery can be. Some applications need a lightweight battery, and others equally need small-sized batteries. Like RVs, cameras, and your smartphone, to mention a few, focus largely on size and portability to enjoy using these devices.
Level of Maintenance
Battery maintenance demands vary based on their chemistry. For example, flooded lead-acid batteries require high maintenance, which includes ventilation, topping up the electrolyte, and occasional cleaning. Lithium-ion batteries require zero maintenance.
Do your comparisons and homework on how much maintenance you’ll need to keep the battery functioning and extending its lifespan. If you go for a high-maintenance battery, question whether you have the time and effort for extra activities in your weekly routine.
The Bottomline
Deciding the right battery capacity and voltage quantity for your battery application depends on the type of application. Heavy applications take up a large battery capacity to run power-intensive operations, while light ones definitely consume little power, and a small battery capacity is adequate.
For exact values, use the correct formulas to determine the battery capacity and voltage you need if precision is a great priority.
