Parallel VS Series: the battery edition

When configuring a smart shunt or battery monitor, a common mistake we see is people adding up both the amp-hours and the voltage of their battery bank, ending up with a much higher figure for amp-hours than they really have.

Remember:
When batteries are in series, voltage increases whilst amp-hours remains the same.
For example:Four 12v 100Ah batteries in series will result in 48v, 100Ah with 4800wh capacity. When batteries are in parallel amp-hours increase but not voltage.

For example: Four 12v 100Ah batteries in parallel will result in 12v, 400Ah giving 4800wh capacity.These battery wiring diagrams help illustrate the difference in parallel and series configurations.

Please be aware: parallel banks require fusing when combining with a distribution system as illustrated in the 24V & 48V diagram.

Author: Tech Talks