🚨 The documentation opposite must be consulted before any use of Nickel-Iron batteries
NiFe Edison batteries: video presentation:
Below we present in video our NiFe batteries installed at one of our customers on an isolated site, with Victron and Fronius equipment.
Our NiFe batteries in service with our customers, since 2017, thousands of blocks installed:
Why choose NiFe (Nickel-Iron) batteries?
Nickel-Iron (NiFe) solar batteries are recognized for their significant technical advantages, especially in applications where durability, robustness, and reliability are crucial.
They have several chemical and technical advantages over other types of batteries, such as lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries.
1. Durability and Longevity:
- Exceptional longevity : Nickel-iron batteries can last between 30 and 100 years, depending on usage conditions.
- Robustness : They can withstand deep discharge cycles without suffering significant damage.
2. Resistance to Extreme Conditions:
- They can operate in a wide range of temperatures and environmental conditions without significant loss of performance.
3. Security and Stability:
- Low risk of ignition or explosion : Unlike lithium-ion batteries, they are less likely to ignite or explode if damaged or malfunctions.
- Chemical stability : Nickel-iron technology provides high chemical stability, reducing the risk of corrosion and other unwanted chemical reactions.
4. Virtuous:
- Nickel-iron batteries are relatively ecological et recyclable, composed of abundant and less toxic materials than those found in other types of batteries.
- They do not require the use of a BMS, which makes their design much more robust and “low tech” than those of so-called “managed” batteries (lithium, with BMS).
5. Tolerance to Abuse:
- Nickel-iron batteries can experience overcharges, deep discharges, and can even be stored flat without sustaining permanent damage.
6. Ease of Maintenance:
- Maintenance is relatively simple, generally limited to adding distilled water to compensate for evaporation.
Disadvantages?
Despite their advantages, nickel-iron batteries also have disadvantages, such as their relatively low energy efficiency compared to newer technologies like lithium-ion. They also have a high initial cost, although this may be offset by their longevity. In addition, their energy density is relatively low, which means that they are bulkier and heavier for an equivalent energy capacity.
They also require maintenance (adding distilled water) approximately every quarter.
Conclusion:
Nickel-iron batteries are a viable option for specific applications where longevity, robustness and safety are prioritized, for example in home solar energy storage systems or other off-grid applications we offer.
Complete technical documentation:
Commissioning & Maintenance Guide
For further …
What degradation can be expected after 6 years of intensive use in an isolated site? Capacity results of two 300Ah blocks:
Recently, we were able to recover two blocks from this battery park for analysis and capacity testing, 6 years later. The results are edifying, and they are reported opposite:
❓ These tests were carried out on two Nickel-Iron blocks used on an isolated site since 2016 (i.e. 6 years) at a user in Var (83), in sub-optimal conditions: uninsulated technical room (thermal amplitudes with summer > 40°), deep discharges in winter, power demands (2000W drilling pump). The results demonstrate residual capacity at least 100% compared to the nominal capacity, i.e. zero degradation for 6 years, at the rate of one cycle per day (i.e. 365×6= 2100 cycles). By smoothing over a year with the seasonality of recharge (lower depth of discharge in summer than in winter) according to the IEC 61427 standard, we can reliably estimate that the batteries have carried out at least more than 1000 cycles at a discharge depth > 80% without any degradation of their performance (discharge capacity and power).
Test result curves (click to zoom)
ℹ️ Data extracted from a JUNSI X12 charger with stabilized 12V power supply. Tests carried out at room temperature (20° +/- 5).
1st charge carried out, overload to 350Ah (116%) at 18A (C/15) 1.7VDC per cell
1st discharge carried out at C/15, 315Ah extracted (105% cut-off from Cnom)
2nd charge carried out, overload to 328Ah (109%) at 30A (C/10), 1.7VDC per cell
2nd discharge carried out at C/15, 306Ah extracted
