Calculate battery cycle life at different Depth of Discharge (DoD) levels. Compare chemistry profiles for LiFePO4, NMC, and Lead Acid to find the optimal DoD for longevity.
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Cycle life, equivalent full cycles and lifetime energy throughput at each DoD
| DoD | Usable kWh | Cycle Life | Equiv. Full Cycles | Lifetime kWh | Years (1 cyc/day) |
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Shallow DoD dramatically extends cycle life. For LiFePO4 cells, dropping from 80% to 30% DoD can increase cycle life by 5–8×. A practical sweet spot for solar and backup is 40–50% DoD.
Use the empirical relation Cycles(DoD) = Cyclesref × (DoDref / DoD)k, where k is a chemistry-specific exponent (typically 0.8–1.1). Higher k values mean stronger sensitivity to deep discharges.
LiFePO4 (LFP) leads, exceeding 6,000 cycles at 80% DoD and 20,000+ cycles at shallow DoD. NMC lithium-ion offers 1,500–2,500 cycles at 80%, while lead-acid typically delivers 400–1,000 cycles and is the most sensitive to deep discharges.