ArrayBudgetPanels, batteries and inverters sized to the load you actually have.

Battery bank for 9 kWh a day with 1 days of autonomy, 24 V AGM

Battery bank
21.18kWh nominal
882 Ah at 24 V — AGM, 1 day of autonomy
Usable energy needed9 kWh a day × 1 day9kWh
Nominal capacity to buyusable ÷ (50% DoD × 85% round-trip)21.18kWh
Capacity at 24 V882Ah
100 Ah blocks2 in series makes one 24 V string9blocks
Charge current0.15C — the charger and the array both have to deliver this132A
Depth of discharge usedmanufacturer figure for rated cycle life, not the physical limit50%
Round-trip efficiencyenergy lost on the way in and out again85%
Rated cycle lifeat 50% DoD400–800 cycles
Daily load
9 kWh
Days of autonomy
1
System voltage
24 V
Chemistry
AGM

Two derates, not one

Pulling 9 kWh a day for 1 days means 9 kWh has to come out of the bank. That is not the number you buy.

Two things stand between nameplate capacity and delivered energy. Depth of discharge caps how much of the pack you are allowed to use if you want the rated cycle life — 50% here. Round-trip efficiency takes another 85% off, lost as heat on the way in and out.

Divide by both and the bank you actually buy is 21.18 kWh, or 882 Ah at 24 V.

Dividing by depth of discharge alone is the common mistake, and it is why so many banks fall short in their first winter.

What that looks like on a shelf

About 9 × 100 Ah blocks. The charger and the array both have to be able to push 132 A into it, which is the constraint people find after the batteries arrive rather than before.

Voltage is the cheap lever

882 Ah at 24 V is the same energy as a much larger amp-hour figure at 12 V, and current is what makes cable expensive. Every doubling of system voltage halves the current for the same power and quarters the loss in the wire.

Notes

  • Two derates, not one. Dividing by depth of discharge alone is the usual mistake — the pack also loses 15% round-trip on AGM, and that comes off the top of every cycle.
  • At 50% usable, AGM needs nearly twice the nameplate capacity of lithium for the same job. Compare on kWh delivered over the warranty, not on sticker price per kWh.
  • 24 V is the practical floor for this size. Higher system voltage means proportionally lower current for the same power — 882 Ah at 24 V would be 1,765 Ah at 12 V, and the cable to carry it gets expensive fast.
  • 1 day of autonomy covers 1× a normal day's use. Grid-tied backup normally carries one day; off-grid with no generator normally carries three to five, because that is what a run of overcast weather costs you.

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