Lifetime estimation tool of lead–acid batteries for hybrid power sources design

• A battery aging model has been developed based on the manufacturer’s data.
• Operating temperature and DOD variations have been considered in the model.
• The model takes into account the aging of lead–acid battery in multi-source system.
• Extraction of battery cycles using the relevant Rain Flow method.
• The effect of DOD, nominal capacity and operating temperature has been analyzed.

Generally, battery lifespan depends on the number of cycles and depth of discharge (DOD). Nevertheless, in a renewable hybrid power system, charge and discharge cycles are random and not regular. Therefore, it is important to develop an aging model suitable to this case. Thus, in this paper, a pertinent way for aging lead–acid batteries connected to a stand-alone multi-source renewable system has been developed. It is based on the Rain Flow method for counting cycles and considers instantaneous DOD and average temperature. In fact, for each functioning year, a classification of the number of cycles according to the DOD is done. Then, based on these data, the battery degradation rate is estimated so that it is possible to draw conclusions about battery lifespan.The method has been successfully applied to a multi-source power system simulated dynamically under Matlab/Simulink. This last takes into account with good accuracy several inputs and elements such as sun irradiation, wind speed, load profile, photovoltaic generator, wind turbine, and diesel generator. Results show the influence of the DOD and the batteries nominal capacity on their lifespan. A mean of eight years’ life is detected. Finally, a reasonable over-sizing may favor battery longevity.