Reconditioning of batteries with EDTA

Renewable energy systems, such as solar or wind, have some drawbacks and come in the form of storing the energy to use when the wind is not blowing and you have a few cloudy days in a row where solar energy production will be minimal.

When you’re not generating power, you use it from your grid-tied system or potentially have a battery bank that charges for these times. Deep cycle batteries are by no means cheap and some of the batteries that are created solely for the use of renewable energy can cost upwards of $250 per battery.

So what can you do about it? Well, there are a couple of things you can do, especially if you make the right contacts in almost any city you live in. This is where the opportunity to get good batteries at a low price lies.

Deep-cycle batteries are used in marine vehicles, RVs, ATVs, golf carts, forklifts, and just about any application. One of the biggest manufacturers of these batteries is a company called the Trojan Battery Company and the batteries they have are great for renewable energy sources. They even have a dedicated line specifically for RE uses.

So… Instead of buying a big bank of these batteries at $250 each, you should search your local golf cart maintenance stores, forklift repair shops, and more to find these deep-cycle gems. 🙂

Most of the time, the batteries themselves are not in horrible condition beyond repair, with some easy work they can be repaired to practically new at little expense. A simple method of repair is to use EDTA on the electrolytic fluid in each cell that fails the test of a standard electrolytic hydrometer. Although some battery types are sealed, most are recoverable using this technique. EDTA stands for ethylenediaminetetraacetic and can be purchased on the internet quite easily. If you see people selling you “special” battery reconditioning mixes this is the main ingredient.