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I am charging a 26 Ah battery with a solar charge controller. The battery's manufacturer recommends charging with 0.1C. Which charges the battery at 2.6A during bulk mode. That is what I was going to charge with initially but I realized that for solar applications that will take up too much time so now I will charge with 5.2A (0.2C) which is lees than the recommended maximum charging current limit.

SO the question is what effects in terms of the battery's life cycle/lifespan does charging with 0.2C have over charging with 0.1C. The datasheet of the battery is attached below.

Lead Acid battery datasheet

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Most manufacturers also quote a charging rate for cyclic use, which is usually higher. In general, charging faster than the manufacturer's recommendation will reduce cycle life. Exact numbers depend on the chemistry and the brand. What battery is it exactly? \$\endgroup\$
    – ocrdu
    Sep 17, 2020 at 15:16
  • \$\begingroup\$ It will run slightly hotter and depending on your charger, may not reach 100 % SOC. Lifespan should drop somewhat, but I would not worry too much about it. \$\endgroup\$
    – winny
    Sep 17, 2020 at 16:25
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    \$\begingroup\$ Read the battery's specification in detail. If it's unclear, link it in the question. \$\endgroup\$
    – user16324
    Sep 17, 2020 at 17:41

1 Answer 1

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0.1 C will give you a full charge in 10 hours, or a bit longer than that allowing for charge inefficiency. That's not unreasonable for an 'ordinary' lead acid cell. Some premium types are designed for faster charging, but normally if you want a fast charge, you use other chemistries based on nickel or lithium.

If you charge faster than they suggest, then you may reduce the number of charge cycles the battery can deliver, and it will reach end of charge voltage at a lower state of charge, needing further charge at low current to reach full capacity. Only you will know how to weight these costs against the benefits of faster charging.

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