New Discover Battery Products

Discover Battery has several interesting new products announced at Intersolar 2022 and on their website:
1) Helios GC (Golf Cart Sized) 24V or 48V LiFePO4 batteries (1.54 kWhr ea) with integrated heater (to -20 degree C), Designed for stationalry service with 1C continuous charge/discharge, BMS compatible with Lync port for closed loop charging and allowing up to 20 batteries to be paralleled per Lync communications unit. Available Spring 2022.
2) Lithium Professional Batteries: GC (Golf Cart Sized) 24V or 48V LiFePO4 batteries self heating. J1939 Canbus communications. 2C continuous, 3 C peak power. Designed for motiveservice (ie forklifts etc.) Prismatic cells, replaceable BMS, UL/IP rating
3) Update to Lync Units: LYNK II Communication Gateway and Lynk Access Software - aggregates and displays in real-time State-of-Charge for Discover HELIOS and AES LiFePO4 batteries. Remote SOC monitoring and Battery condition logs. Works with Schneider, Victron, SMA, Studer, SolArk etc. 3 Aux relays for generator start/stop, Battery Firmware update capability. Available from Nov. 2021
All excellent developments. Wish that they would add self heating capability to their existing higher capacity batteries such as the AES 7.4 kWh solar stationary batteries!
1) Helios GC (Golf Cart Sized) 24V or 48V LiFePO4 batteries (1.54 kWhr ea) with integrated heater (to -20 degree C), Designed for stationalry service with 1C continuous charge/discharge, BMS compatible with Lync port for closed loop charging and allowing up to 20 batteries to be paralleled per Lync communications unit. Available Spring 2022.
2) Lithium Professional Batteries: GC (Golf Cart Sized) 24V or 48V LiFePO4 batteries self heating. J1939 Canbus communications. 2C continuous, 3 C peak power. Designed for motiveservice (ie forklifts etc.) Prismatic cells, replaceable BMS, UL/IP rating
3) Update to Lync Units: LYNK II Communication Gateway and Lynk Access Software - aggregates and displays in real-time State-of-Charge for Discover HELIOS and AES LiFePO4 batteries. Remote SOC monitoring and Battery condition logs. Works with Schneider, Victron, SMA, Studer, SolArk etc. 3 Aux relays for generator start/stop, Battery Firmware update capability. Available from Nov. 2021
All excellent developments. Wish that they would add self heating capability to their existing higher capacity batteries such as the AES 7.4 kWh solar stationary batteries!
Offgrid in cloudy PNW
MacGyver'ed museum collection of panels, castoff batteries and generators - ready for state of art system install ....
Comments
5,000 watt array - 14 CS 370 watt modules. HZLA horizontal tracker. Schneider: XW6048NA+, Mini PDP, MPPT 80-600, SCP. 390ah LiFeP04 battery bank - 3 Discover AES 42-48-6650 48 volt 130ah LiFePO4 batteries
Offgrid in cloudy PNW
MacGyver'ed museum collection of panels, castoff batteries and generators - ready for state of art system install ....
10 year warranty and backed up by a company that will be there. I only do this for Offgrid stationary and have zero experience with RV and Marine or their flooded/ AGM market.
http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
E-mail [email protected]
Are there some specific issues with the capacity or reliability of the Discovery lithium batteries that you have heard of? Were these possibly early adopter product issues? I'm considering purchasing a set of their lithium batteries and have never before heard any significant complaints about them, other that their cost compared to some other options.
Batteries have electrochemical complexities and as a result are not perfectly "pay and play", many people are not aware of all the ways that cells, charging and control systems can go south.
There are probably many people who are not "happy" with their batteries even with good top end products.
Living off grid isn't easy.
Thanks
Offgrid in cloudy PNW
MacGyver'ed museum collection of panels, castoff batteries and generators - ready for state of art system install ....
When I first got to test lithium for Schneider and LG I saw firsthand the advantage of closed loop charging over open loop. If you have the amps (like 120adc from xwp ) for each AES 7kwh you cut the charge time by 25%. That is alot of solar or fuel saved to do that.
I watched last week a charge of an AES 7kwh battery from 0% to full in 68 minutes, just like they spec it. None of the voltage worries that these guys all write about here in this forum. All done by Soc controlling voltages.
On a smart phone running Insight cloud from Schneider each AES shows a separate battery with it's Soc. Very nice to see that for the ladies offgrid! It is always about them ! I hate to see them put thru the H E double tooth-pics some of these offgrid guys make them do because they are just cheap. I call it offgrid squalor and I see it too often. Being the richest guy in the graveyard is a really bad ending. End of rant for that. Cheers to the the good guys !
http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
E-mail [email protected]
Nice to hear of good experiences. I'm wondering if the AES 7kwh have an output that could be used to drive a relay and heating pad. I think they have internal temperature sensing. Discover needs to update the AES 7.4 kwh to have self heating capability, that would be a big selling point here in Canada. It actually gets cold here eh?
During the cold snap here in the PNW the islands got down to -10 C ( 14 F) for a week or so. Although we have a propane wall heater and mV thermostat, the poorly tinned pins on the thermostat socket develop just enough contact resistance in our salty air to stop working in about a month (unless I wiggly the thermostat to break the oxide layer). As a result of the heater failure the cabin got down to well below freezing inside and everything that wasn't winterized froze.
Next step is to rip out the fancy thermostat socket and solder directly onto the pins ....
Quite hard to find a good wi-fi mV programmable thermostat that can be powered by low voltage DC - most want 24 VAC which implies leaving an inverter on. In the sun starved PNW winter, even minor always on power draws become hugely significant.
Offgrid in cloudy PNW
MacGyver'ed museum collection of panels, castoff batteries and generators - ready for state of art system install ....
You just have to do it right and have fail safes if you are going to leave it on for critical inverter loads. It will shut down to protect itself from being charged below 32F and come back on when it warms up. I have plenty of clients up your way and alot farther N, and they do fine.
Below is the dashboard and AES on the Schneider Mobile app. The earnings are based on utility cost if we had a grid-tie.
http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
E-mail [email protected]
Discover just announced another Li battery line, the larger "Element":
"Coming down the line for Discover this summer is its Element battery, a 5 kW LFP battery that can also be placed in a series of 20 and managed by Lynk II.".
Discover Battery’s rack-ready battery
Discover Battery has focused on selling its AES lithium battery for five years, but is now introducing a new model with significant enhancements. The new Element battery is less than half the weight of the AES as well as more compact. The company’s upgraded battery management system, the Lynk II, serves as the central communication point between the batteries and inverters.
Hopefully it has self heating capability to allow continued operations at lower temperatures.
Offgrid in cloudy PNW
MacGyver'ed museum collection of panels, castoff batteries and generators - ready for state of art system install ....