Nowadays great importance is attached in more and more countries to environmental protection and advocating adopting green energies. Q-Lite Nickel-Iron (Ni-Fe) batteries, with its high reliability, long service life, lower cost, pollution free and other strong features, are gradually replacing lead-acid batteries for many a wide range of applications, especially for solar PV and renewable energy and power systems.

 

Q-Lite NiFe-S Solar batteries are specially designed and manufactured for solar PV and renewable energy  applications under critical and rough circumstances, which refer to low operation cost, low self-discharge, , long cycle life, environmental friendliness, etc; also the batteries are capable of withstanding deep discharge, wide temperature variation, mechanical & electrical abuses and still generate excellent and reliable performance over a long period of time.

 

NiFe-S solar batteries are suitable for all solar photovoltaic power systems. They are widely used as storage power supply for solar photovoltaic system, offshore oil platforms, railway transportation, traffic lighting and , signaling, faraway BTS station, cathodic protection for pipelines and radio navigation system. The service   life of NiFe-S solar batteries is expected to be longer than 20 years with correct handling instructions and recommendations by manufacturer.

 

Battery unique features include a steel frame with welded plates, shock-resistant polypropylene or MBS casing material and excellent flame arresting flip-top vent. In addition, there is a big reserve of flooded electrolyte, which prolongs the topping-up interval period. With strong design and advanced manufacturing methods, NiFe-S solar batteries are particularly suitable for remote and isolated locations and require minimal maintenance.

 

The power generated by solar photovoltaic systems is widely used for various applications, such as pumping water, indoor lighting, power supply for a microwave tower on top of mountains, etc. A general solar photovoltaic system is ideal for site and unmanned operation due to easy installation and high reliabilities.

 

 

Photovoltaic Applications

 

Navigations Aids	Telecommunication Systems
* Remote lighthouses * Beacons * Offshore	* Base Stations * Radio Repeater Stations * Emergency Telephone Posts
Railway and Light Trains	Oil and Gas Fields
* Crossing Gates * Lighting and Signaling	* Emergency Lighting on offshore platforms * Cathodic Protection for Pipelines
Utilities
* Electric Power Supply for Remote Areas / islands

* Long cycle life (maximum service life target 20 years plus with correct operations)
* Wide operating temperature range
* Low maintenance
* High resistance to mechanical and electrical abuse
* Low transportation and installation cost

 

Item	Lead Acid Cell	NiFe-S Cell
Nominal Voltage	2V	1.2V
Float Charge Voltage	2.23/cell ~2.3V/cell	1.45V/cell~1.50V/cell
Temperature makeup  in float charge	-3mV /℃•cell	-3mV /℃•cell
Operating Voltage	Average	Good
Standard charge and discharge current	0.1C10A	0.25C5A
High rate discharge performance	Poor	Good
Overcharge performance	Poor	Good
Over discharge performance	Extremely poor	Good
Effect form from floating charge voltage	When the charge voltage exceeds 2.35V /cell, the service life of VRLA cell will be reduced by 1/2 for every 0.1V/cell increase.	Not affected
Operation Life	3-5-8 years	20 years
Storage Life	2 years	4 years
High temperature performance	When the ambient temperature exceeds to 50℃, there is capacity decrease risen from   reduction of t charge acceptance performance, which significantly impact the service life of VRLA cells.	Not affected
Low temperature performance	Huge effect on the service life of VRLA cell	Little effect on the service life of NF-S series Ni-Fe cell
Thermal danger if shorted	Yes	No
Premature Capacity loss	Yes	No
Environmentally friendly	No	Yes

 

Cost Comparison Table on VRLA and NiFe-S Cells

 

 

Cost Effectiveness

There are three cost calculation concerns regarding the cost of a battery system:
* Initial investment, i.e. cost of purchases, spares, tools and installation.
* Maintenance cost, i.e. unexpected and expensive downtime cost.
* Replacement cost, i.e. dismantling, shipping, disposal and administrative cost.

VRLA Battery

In case of lead acid batter application, this can also include frequent requirement and all costs associated with an unexpected battery failure.

 

Ni-Fe Batteries

NiFe cells may cost more than lead-acid ones for the stage of initial investment alone. As for stand-by, like solar photovoltaic applications with large capital investment installed in remote locations, maintenance reliability and replacement cost factors can greatly outweigh the initial cost of the battery.

 

The performance of Ni-Fe cells are similar to that of Ni-Cd cells. In addition, Ni-Fe cells are pollution-free. Future maintenance requirement and life cycle costs are the main factors to be considered when making a cost effectiveness calculation. Considering the extra costs of sudden or premature failure of Lead acid batteries, Ni-Cd and Ni-Fe batteries are cheaper in the long-term.

Model No.	Nominal Volt	Rated C5	Max. Weight	Dimensions (mm)			Terminal Thread	Electrolyte Volume	Container Material
	V	AH	kg	Height	Width	Thickness		L
NF10-S	1.2	10	0.8	138	84	38	M6	0.2	MBS or PP
NF20-S	1.2	20	1.2	220	113	32	M6	0.3	MBS or PP
NF30-S	1.2	30	2.8	245	134	68	M10 X 1	0.8	MBS or PP
NF40-S	1.2	40	3.0	245	134	68	M10 X 1	0.8	MBS or PP
NF50-S	1.2	50	3.0	245	134	68	M10 X 1	0.7	MBS or PP
NF60-S	1.2	60	4.2	285	134	70	M16	0.9	MBS or PP
NF70-S	1.2	70	5.6	365	141	80	M10 X 1	1.8	MBS or PP
NF80-S	1.2	80	5.8	365	141	80	M10 X 1	1.7	MBS or PP
NF100-S	1.2	100	6.2	365	141	80	M10 X 1	1.6	MBS or PP
NF120-S	1.2	120	6.4	365	141	80	M10 X 1	1.4	MBS or PP
NF150-S	1.2	150	9.0	345	164	106	M20	2.5	MBS or PP
NF200-S	1.2	200	10.0	345	164	106	M20	1.8	MBS or PP
NF250-S	1.2	250	18.5	425	276	138	M16 X 2	4.6	PP
NF300-S	1.2	300	21.5	450	276	138	M16 X 2	4.2	MBS or PP
NF350-S	1.2	350	22.5	450	276	138	M16 X 2	4.0	MBS or PP
NF400-S	1.2	400	23.5	490	276	138	M16 X 2	4.3	PP
NF500-S	1.2	500	26.0	490	276	138	M16 X 2	4.7	PP
NF600-S	1.2	600	38.0	510	291	176	M20 X 2	8.7	MBS or PP
NF700-S	1.2	700	39.0	510	291	176	M20 X 2	8.4	MBS or PP
NF800-S	1.2	800	60.0	570	398	186	M20 X 3	17.2	MBS or PP
NF900-S	1.2	900	61.0	570	398	186	M20 X 3	15.6	MBS or PP
NF1000-S	1.2	1000	62.0	570	398	186	M20 X 3	15.0	MBS or PP
Battery manufactured in compliance with IEC 60623 standard. Container Material: PP = High impact polypropylene Co-polymer, MBS = Methacrylate butadiene styrene. All listed items refer to Q-Lite standard supply. More items with custom specs are to be available upon request.