I need to build a battery array to use with my solar panels I just bought. I want to be able to store enough energy to be draw from it at night, possibly around the clock. Is there a down side to using the deep cycle battery I bought from autozone and 6 or 7 more just like it, or do I need to get some other battery?
There are batteries particularly made for solar, such as the Trojan T05-RE . I think the RE stands for renewable energy. A deep cycle battery should work all right, although not quite as well. What you want to do is try out your setup first, with just one battery, and the panels provided. If this is one of those 45 watt kits, you may be surprised at how little energy you actually get from the panels. Increasing the number of batteries won't help, either - that's like getting a larger water tank, when you only have a trickle to fill it. If your goal is really to save money, the most cost-effective solar is the grid-tied type, with no batteries at all. That's what we have, and I've never regretted it.
