Question: Will heat affect battery life for solar energy battery charger?

[RayO]

I need advice that will help me with my configuration of using solar energy to
power my devices.

Right now I have a solar energy bank device (not the image) that I put outside our sunny Florida window to build up
a charge during the day. I then bring it in at night and connect it with it's usb chord to a smart phone
android device. Usually during the day the solar bank is quite warm to touch and I wonder if the heat from the rays
of the sun are taking a toll of the battery within the charger. That is a question I'd appreciate answering.

Reason is I want to buy another solar charger and wonder if perhaps I would be better off with
my solar cell (PV) array separate with them outside collecting sunlight and have cable connection to a usb
battery charger that is on the inside of the home that is shaded. Of course the cable itself will offer
resistance so that is a consideration too which make me ponder this choice.SolarBatteryCharger.jpg

My girlfriend always puts batteries in the fridge to chill as she says coolness helps battery life. So if low temp is
a friend to battery life does heat have the opposite effect? And are some batteries composition better than
others to heat. Here in Florida it is not uncommon to record temp in the mid 90's.

Thoughts on this are appreciated as it will help me take my next step into more solar energy for
my home.

-RayO

PS. How long will the batteries last in the heat insider this unit? Normal life? or extremely short-lived?

[solar pete]

I need advice that will help me with my configuration of using solar energy to
power my devices.

Right now I have a solar energy bank device (not the image) that I put outside our sunny Florida window to build up
a charge during the day. I then bring it in at night and connect it with it's usb chord to a smart phone
android device. Usually during the day the solar bank is quite warm to touch and I wonder if the heat from the rays
of the sun are taking a toll of the battery within the charger. That is a question I'd appreciate answering.

Reason is I want to buy another solar charger and wonder if perhaps I would be better off with
my solar cell (PV) array separate with them outside collecting sunlight and have cable connection to a usb
battery charger that is on the inside of the home that is shaded. Of course the cable itself will offer
resistance so that is a consideration too which make me ponder this choice.[ATTACH]8142[/ATTACH]

My girlfriend always puts batteries in the fridge to chill as she says coolness helps battery life. So if low temp is
a friend to battery life does heat have the opposite effect? And are some batteries composition better than
others to heat. Here in Florida it is not uncommon to record temp in the mid 90's.

Thoughts on this are appreciated as it will help me take my next step into more solar energy for
my home.

-RayO

PS. How long will the batteries last in the heat insider this unit? Normal life? or extremely short-lived?

Howdy RayO, this bit has me confused, you said .."Right now I have a solar energy bank device".... I've been around solar for a while and I don't know what that means. So I think you need to read up in the stickies in various sections of the forum. YES temperature does have an effect on batteries and some batteries do better in certain climates than others. Just read up some more and come back to us with some more questions, we do have a few people around the place that know a lot about batteries they might chime in at some stage, cheers

[PNjunction]

Right now I have a solar energy bank device (not the image) that I put outside our sunny Florida window to build up
a charge during the day. I then bring it in at night and connect it with it's usb chord to a smart phone android device. Usually during the day the solar bank is quite warm to touch and I wonder if the heat from the rays of the sun are taking a toll of the battery within the charger. That is a question I'd appreciate answering.

Yes it is, especially if you are letting direct sunlight hit your energy bank. I also suspect that this energy bank is lithium-ion based, and since most are NOT LIFEPO4, (the safest of all the lithium chemistries), I'd advise getting that energy bank away from your house in case things go thermal.

I suppose if the batteries are also housed inside the paneling, then you have no choice. Luckily, lithium-ion can take a bit of heat, but like always, batteries are like us - if you are uncomfortable, so are they. Batteries don't like sweltering heat much like we don't. Some have taken to putting the battery bank inside a loose-fitting oven mit for direct-ray protection, but if the battery fails and catches the mit on fire too close to the house .... you get the idea.

BUT look at it from a practical standpoint: will going nutso over pampering your batteries by putting them in the fridge every night really save you much down the road in a few years when you just pop down a few bucks for a replacement? Sure, doing so will help slow the parasitic reactions which cause degraded cell life. But are your measures practical? Are you a total battery geek, or a normal person?

OH, and forget that solar charger you linked to - bad idea having them in the sun - or just directly underneath the solar cells themselves. At least not where you and I live! That thing is a total joke. I have used them in the far distant past and had them burn up good cells, or leave them totally undercharged.

Hint - if you want to do solar AA right, it is going to cost. Think Powerfilm AA (4 cells) foldable, or a Maha/Powerex MH-C9000 run from an agm with it's own panel and solar controller.