Sailboat Power Storage (Batteries)
Under construction.
General Resources
Battle Born - The Basics of Lithium Battery Power for Sailboats and Other Marine Applications | Marine 101
This is a great, long-form video of modern marine electrical systems, presented by Connor Smith of Warrior Sailing. Even if you’re not interested in LiFePO4 batteries, this is a great resource to familiarize yourself with capabilities and monitoring of modern marine systems.
InvertersRUs B-Stock List: https://invertersrus.com/victron-energy-b-stock-sale/
Great deals to be had on used, quality Victron equipment.
Happy Birthday LiFePO4! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkyF976hAxo
Rod Collins is a luminary in the marine electrical field and was one of the first known sailors experimenting in the early days of LiFePO4 batteries. Here he discusses the performance of his home-built 15 year old LiFePO4 battery.
Lithium Ion (LiFePO4) Batteries
Lithium Ion batteries present major advantages in weight, discharge capacity, charging capacity, efficiency, and longevity over traditional AGM and FLA (flooded lead acid) batteries. They are often advertised as “drop-in” replacements, but usually require additional modifications to your existing electrical system, usually focused on charging sources (especially alternators). See our Sailboat Charging Systems page for more information.
Resources
ABYC - Installing LiFePO4 Batteries Webinar
Battle Born Batteries website
Battle Born is one of the premier LiFEPO4 battery manufacturers in the world. They focus on off-grid (RV and marine) battery applications.I have used their technical support line several times. They are extremely knowledgeable about their product, as well as other marine electrical products (especially Victron Energy products). They are a great resource for all things off-grid electrical.
Victron Energy complete sailing yacht power system (LiFePO4 and Lead Acid shown): https://www.victronenergy.com/markets/marine/sailing-yacht#complete-system
BoatUS Writeup on LiFePO4 Batteries, covering various ABYC E-13 Guidelines
Battle Born 12V battery independent tear down and review
ABYC Compliance (ABYC E-13)
Background Resources
This article appeared in Professional Boatbuilder and gives ABYC’s preliminary LiFePO4 battery torture testing findings. To summarize, the findings were extremely promising. Batteries that comply with ABYC E-13, in particular, the ones that have a well-functioning BMS (Battery Management System) on-board the battery, worked flawlessly.
Recently, ABYC released official guidance for LiFEPO4 batteries (ABYC E-13).
Under Construction.
