Battery Storage: Guides, Comparisons & LiFePO4 Brands
The battery bank is the part of a solar or backup system where mistakes get expensive. Undersize it and the lights go out early; oversize it and you paid for capacity the inverter never touches. This hub collects everything PES Supply has published on battery storage: the charging-behavior rules that protect cycle life, the sizing math for pairing batteries with solar arrays, head-to-head shootouts between the value and premium LiFePO4 tiers, and dealer-spec brand guides on EG4, Fortress Power, Pylontech, BYD, sonnen, SimpliPhi, Trojan, and Crown. Whether you are building a 48V server-rack bank for a hybrid inverter, a 12V RV setup, or a whole-home ESS, the guides below answer the chemistry, BMS, communications, and warranty questions before you spend. We stock the batteries we write about, so the guides name real model families and real limitations — not marketing ranges. Finish with the free charge-time calculator to sanity-check your solar-to-battery pairing, then hit the shop links for in-stock inventory at wholesale pricing.
Start here
The 20-80 Battery Rule: Charging Limits That Double Cycle Life →
The most-shared battery guide we publish — why depth-of-discharge limits matter more than nameplate capacity, and how the 20-80 rule changes real-world lifespan for LiFePO4, AGM, and lithium-ion banks.
Sizing & Charging Guides
Charge times, bank sizing, and solar-to-battery pairing with real watt-hour math.
- How Long to Charge a 12V 100Ah Battery with 200W Solar — Charge-time math with real sun hours, controller losses, and depth of discharge.
- Batteries for a 4,000W Solar System — Pairing bank capacity to array output — the kWh sizing walkthrough.
- How Many Batteries Will a 200W Panel Charge? — Amp-hour throughput from a single panel — realistic daily harvest numbers.
- Panels & Batteries for 4,000 kWh/Month — High-usage system design covering both array size and storage.
Comparisons
LiFePO4 shootouts — UL listings, BMS, closed-loop comms, warranty, and price per kWh.
- EG4 vs Fortress Power: 48V Rack Battery Shootout — Value import vs premium US-supported — the two tiers of 48V rack batteries compared.
- Battle Born vs EG4 12V LiFePO4 — Premium vs value for RV and off-grid 12V banks — warranty, BMS, and cost per cycle.
- Sol-Ark vs EG4 Hybrid Inverters — The inverter half of the battery decision — comms compatibility and closed-loop support.
Brand Guides
Dealer-spec guides on the battery brands we stock — chemistry, BMS architecture, and inverter compatibility.
- EG4 Electronics — Server-rack and wall-mount LFP — the value tier that rewrote battery pricing.
- Fortress Power — Premium LFP designed and supported out of Pennsylvania.
- Pylontech — Modular US-series and Force LFP — broad inverter compatibility.
- BYD Battery-Box — Modular LFP from the world's largest battery maker.
- sonnen — All-in-one LFP systems — German-engineered whole-home storage.
- SimpliPhi Power — Ruggedized LFP — military and off-grid provenance.
- Trojan Battery — Deep-cycle FLA, AGM, gel, and LFP — the legacy lead-acid leader's full range.
- Crown Battery — US-made deep-cycle batteries across every chemistry.
Tools
Free calculator — charge time from panel wattage, bank size, and depth of discharge.
- Battery Charge Time Calculator — Solar-to-battery charge time with sun hours, efficiency losses, and DoD.
Shop Battery Storage
LiFePO4 rack modules, wall-mount units, and deep-cycle banks in stock at wholesale pricing.
- Battery Storage — The full storage catalog by chemistry and format.
- LiFePO4 Batteries — Lithium iron phosphate across all form factors.
- 48V Batteries — Rack and wall-mount banks for hybrid inverters.
- EG4 Electronics — LL, LifePower, and wall-mount LFP lines.
- Pylontech — US3000/US5000 and Force series modules.
- Trojan Battery — Deep-cycle flooded, AGM, and lithium.
- Crown Battery — US-made deep-cycle batteries.
- sonnen — All-in-one storage systems.
- Energy Storage Systems — Complete ESS packages with inverters.
Why contractors source from PES Supply. We are a wholesale supplier, not a content farm — every guide on this page exists because we sell and support the equipment it covers. That means real model numbers, real warranty terms, and honest limitations instead of affiliate-listicle rankings. Order through any collection link and you get contractor pricing, consolidated freight on multi-pallet orders, and a support line staffed by people who can read a spec sheet.
Get a wholesale quote. Building a battery bank for solar, backup, or off-grid? Send us the inverter model and daily kWh target — we'll spec the bank, BMS comms, and cabling as a matched system. Request a quote →
Portlandia Electric Supply stocks generators, solar, battery storage, EV charging, and electrical supplies at wholesale — browse all collections or explore our other hubs: Generators · Solar · Battery Storage · EV Charging · Electrical.