Aquion is a US-based battery manufacturer bringing a fresh approach to battery manufacturing. The company’s saltwater-based batteries are some of the most affordable, safest, and environmentally-friendly batteries on the planet, making them a great option for residential and commercial energy storage applications.
The number of energy storage options in Australia are growing rapidly as more and more homes and businesses look to batteries to help them get the most of their solar power systems and reduce their reliance on the electricity grid. Historically, the conventional go-to solar storage technology in Australia has been lead-acid batteries, which have historically been widely used in off-grid, stand-alone power systems. More recently, lithium-ion batteries have gained ground as their price points have come down and their market share has expanded.
Important update: Aquion Energy has filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US and it is unclear when they will be manufacturing batteries again
Despite their popularity, both of these battery chemistries have certain disadvantages. Firstly, unless they are well-engineered energy storage systems can potentially be dangerous, especially as they age. Secondly, they cannot be fully discharged without causing permanent damage to their ability to hold a charge – meaning that in effect their full capacity cannot be used. And finally, they are both heavily reliant on the use of caustic chemicals both in their production and operation.
Aquion Energy’s S20-P08F Stack
Aquion is a company created from the outset to tackle some of these issues – and produce a battery that could be brought quickly to market. The company’s batteries – based on a technology that has been around for over 100 years – are unique for a number of reasons. They can be repeatedly discharged to the maximum depth across their recommended lifespan (8-10 years) without damaging their ability to hold a charge. Furthermore, they pose virtually zero risk of fire hazard (they are ‘self-extinguishing’). And on top of this, they are the first and only battery manufacturer to have met all the stringent criteria to obtain Cradle-to-Cradle (Bronze) certification – meaning that they are arguably the most environmentally benign batteries currently available anywhere.
Benefits of Aquion’s AHI batteries.
But perhaps most importantly for Australian homes and businesses who are considering energy storage, Aquion’s saltwater batteries are already available in Australia – and at a price point competitive with lead acid and lithium-ion batteries.
Further resources:
Check out our Q&A interview with Aquion’s Matt Maroon
Listen to an interview with Aquion battery importer Ampetus Energy on Beyond Zero Radio
Aquion AHI vs Lithium batteries info sheet (PDF)
Aquion AHI vs lead acid info sheet (PDF)
Download spec sheets: Aquion Aspen 48S-2.2 Battery (PDF) – Aquion Aspen 24S-83 Battery (PDF)
Important update: Aquion Energy has filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US and it is unclear when they will be manufacturing batteries again
© 2016 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
I have noticed that quite a few of the above comments are seeking a price of the batteries and you do a sterling job of diverting the question which I find most frustrating Why don’t you advertise the cost of the batteries or the old story of “if you cant see the price you probably can’t afford them
Hi Paul,
Pricing can vary from installer to installer and area to area but at last check they were retailing for about $1,300-$1,500 per kWh of capacity. Unfortunately it’s kind of a moot point now, as the company has filed bankruptcy in the USA and their future remains uncertain.
Hello! I have a pretty specific question if I say so, but I’d like to know how much a battery with 1kWh or 2kWh would cost. I’ve got this question because for school we have to make a business plan and ours is about a phone case which holds a salt water battery so it can be recycled! Of course we won’t produce it, it is just a very important thing we have to set on paper for a good grade:) I hope you could help me out to get some things on paper.
Kind Regards,
Kay Kluge
Hi Kay,
I’d recommend getting in touch with Aquion about this directly – their contact details are in the article above.
Of the top of my head, I would say that their batteries are probably too large to be used in small applications like phones – the large stacks in this article can hold about 2kWh of energy.
thank you very much for the fast reply! I will get in touch with them!
kind regards,
Kay Kluge
Hi, do I need a net meter in order to have batteries to store the power from my 1.5 kw system. My average daily use is 5 kWh. Would the batteries store enough power for me to be self sufficient?
Hi Jacinta,
5kWh of usage per day is very very small, so the chances of you being able to go off-grid are pretty good – but you’d need a bigger solar system to make sure you have enough energy for extended periods of cloudy weather. Assuming you live in Sydney, you could probably get close to 3 days of ‘energy autonomy’ with a 5kW solar system and about 10kWh of Aquion batteries.
I came up with these numbers using our Off-grid Solar & Battery System Sizing Estimator Tool, but I recommend that you get a second, more detailed opinion through an accredited installer – we can introduce you to some in your area if you fill out the Quote Comparison Request form to the right of this page.
If you have any other enquiries, don’t hesitate to contact us (communications@solarchoice.net.au) or on 1300 78 72 73.
We are already on a remote solar system but need to replace batteries, so all I want to know is pricing, thanks.
Hi Linda. The best way to get pricing through Solar Choice is to fill out the Quote Comparison Request form to the right of this page (click ‘battery only’). By doing so you’ll be able to see pricing for battery storage system from a variety of installers in your area. If none of them offer Aquion, please give us a ring on 1300 78 72 73 and we’ll see what we can do to assist further.
How many batteries would you need with a 5KW system and a 25.88KWH daily usage on the home?
Do the batteries charge each other as well as using the solar system?
Hi Rohan,
The amount of battery capacity you would need depends on a few factors, including what your goals are (do you want to go off grid? just capture your excess solar energy?), your electricity consumption pattern (do you use a lot of electricity during the day, or mainly in the morning and at night?), and your location (how much sunlight does your roof get on the average day?).
We’ve put together a tool that lets you roughly work out the amount of battery storage capacity that is best for your situation: Solar Choice Battery Storage Sizing & Payback Estimator. Do some exploring with this and hopefully you’ll be able to get closer to answering the question for yourself.
To answer your second question, the batteries do not ‘charge each other’, but depending on what inverter your system uses, you might be able to charge the batteries using the electrical grid (in addition to charging them using your solar panels).
If you enter your details into the Solar Quote Comparison Request form to the right of this page, you can compare battery storage pricing from a number of installers in your area. The installers should also be able to give you some advice as to what size system would work best for you.
We did not receive any form of manual with our battery.
Can one be scanned and sent please. We need to know how to hook it up to our inverter and no leads matching it were sent…
Hi Deborah,
You can download a copy of the user’s manual by clicking here.
Please note that you are probably better off getting in touch with Aquion Energy directly with your query – we are just an information portal and do not provide technical support for specific products. You can find authorised Aquion dealers in Australia here on the Aquion website.
Best of luck with your system!
Great idea. We lived off grid for the last 30 years, and have recently built a new, low energy house in town. We would be interested in a stand alone system, or something similar in the next few years. Any information about complete systems would interest us. It is a two person household with solar hot water, LED lighting, induction cooktop and efficient electric oven and refrigerator.
Philip.
Hi Phillip,
If you’re interested in seeing prices for complete (solar + storage) systems, you can fill out the Solar Quote Comparison form to the right of this page. Once you do so, you’ll be able to compare solar and battery storage offers from a number of installers in your area. You can also call us on 1300 78 72 73 if you’d like to chat in further detail.