Victron Energy, a Dutch power solutions provider, has launched its new battery balancer. Not all batteries are created equal, and when multiple batteries are combined to create one large battery bank, the small differences between the batteries can cause problems that substantially shorten the life time. The battery balancer prevents this by actively correcting the imbalance. Besides correcting, it is also equipped with an alarm function to give a warning in case of a large deviation. Its stunning simplicity and effectiveness is the result of Victron Energy’s extensive experience and knowledge, gained whilst working with both conventional and lithium batteries.
Batteries can be used in both series strings and series/parallel banks, be they 24 V, 48 V or sometimes higher voltages. When using a series string or series/parallel bank to create differing voltages and Ah ratings from individual 12 volt batteries, you can end up with a variance in terminal voltages on each battery. This will cause the batteries to become unbalanced.
This situation is often made even worse by the seemingly ever increasing demands on batteries, to run power hungry equipment. The consequence of all this is that an expensive string or bank can fail prematurely, which is costly in both time and money. Correcting and preventing battery imbalance with the Victron battery balancer is the answer to extending the lifetime of batteries.
The Victron Energy BMV-702 battery monitor, released earlier this year, is a perfect addition. Besides state of charge and voltage readouts, it also has unique mid-point voltage monitoring. This feature provides detailed insight in the balance of the battery bank, as well as configurable alarms. Together, both products provide a comprehensive solution to monitor and maintain 24 and 48 volt battery banks in tip-top condition.
