Our life at the house in Zacatitos changed immediately when we moved from sealed lead acid to lithium ion batteries. We had Blue Ion batteries for the house (and now for our townhouse in Pueblo Campestre Phase 2) and installed SimpliPhi batteries – a less expensive alternative – for our casita. SimpliPhi has now been purchased by Briggs & Stratton, which is offering complete solar energy packages. Phi lithium ion batteries are 3.8 kW each and can be depleted to 80% in any one cycle. One of the drawbacks – other than length of warranty – was that there was no way to monitor the batteries remotely. Briggs & Stratton has added an AmpliPhi battery to the products that has a built in battery management system that allows remote monitoring.

These batteries use the safest lithium ion chemical composition, are compatible with all Inverter systems and can be combined into a very large battery bank. For people looking for a cost effective good quality alternative, the SimpliPhi or AmpliPhi lithium ion batteries from Briggs & Stratton are worth consideration.