How many kWh is a 48V 100Ah battery?
A 48 V 100 Ah lithium battery stores approximately 5.1 kWh. The arithmetic is voltage multiplied by amp-hours: a LiFePOâ‚„ module described as “48 V” has a nominal voltage of 51.2 V (sixteen cells at 3.2 V in series), so 51.2 V × 100 Ah is about 5,120 Wh, or 5.1 kWh.
This is worth stating explicitly because the naming convention causes real sizing errors. “48 V” is a system designation, not the actual voltage. SOLiCORE charges to 57.6 V ± 0.8 V and its battery management system cuts off at 40 V. A 48 V lead-acid string, by contrast, is twenty-four 2 V cells and sits nearer 54 V on float.
Two consequences that matter when retrofitting:
- Check the DC bus window of the UPS, rectifier or inverter you are connecting to. A 40–58.4 V operating range has to fit inside it.
- For telecom applications, note that ETSI EN 300 132-2 sets the normal −48 V interface range at −40.5 V to −57.0 V. SOLiCORE’s 40 V cut-off sits marginally below that floor, so the plant’s low-voltage disconnect should be set above 40 V so that load is shed before equipment sees an out-of-range supply. See the retrofit question below.