What it costs
| Size / type | Typical price | Range | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100Ah lead-acid/gel/AGM | KSh 8,500 | 4,199 – 34,500 | 73 |
| 150Ah lead-acid/gel/AGM | KSh 10,500 | 6,169 – 46,000 | 19 |
| 200Ah lead-acid/gel/AGM | KSh 21,499 | 8,739 – 50,000 | 91 |
| lithium ~1.3kWh (12V 100Ah) | KSh 25,599 | 22,999 – 104,055 | 37 |
| lithium ~2.5kWh | KSh 41,899 | 34,999 – 199,500 | 45 |
| lithium 3.3-3.8kWh | KSh 59,045 | 41,500 – 195,000 | 16 |
| lithium ~5kWh | KSh 110,000 | 73,000 – 460,000 | 99 |
| lithium ~7.7kWh | KSh 189,999 | 148,000 – 425,500 | 12 |
| lithium ~10kWh | KSh 195,000 | 110,000 – 631,900 | 35 |
| lithium 15-16kWh | KSh 277,250 | 227,450 – 851,900 | 18 |
Prices are for the battery alone, from the listings we checked. Lead-acid rows are by amp-hours at 12V; lithium rows are by stored energy (kWh). Prices from listings on Kenyan shops and marketplaces, checked October 2026. Listings with impossible specs are left out.
Which battery is best for a solar system in Kenya?
For most homes today the choice is between two families of solar batteries:
- Lead-acid (gel, AGM and tubular). The familiar heavy 12V blocks. They cost less to buy, are sold everywhere and are easy to replace. You should only use about half of the stored energy each night, or they wear out quickly.
- Lithium (LiFePO4). Lighter, longer lasting and able to use most of their stored energy every day. They cost more at the start but usually work out cheaper per year of use, and they suit modern hybrid inverters.
If you run a small system for lights, TV and phone charging, a good gel or tubular battery is a sensible buy. If you want backup for a fridge, a pump or a whole house, or you cycle the battery every single night, lithium is usually the better long-term choice. Our page on lithium solar batteries goes deeper.
Types of solar battery compared
- Flooded lead-acid. The cheapest. Needs topping up with distilled water and a ventilated space. Rare in new solar installs.
- Gel and AGM (sealed lead-acid). No topping up, safe indoors, widely sold as "solar batteries" in 100Ah, 150Ah and 200Ah sizes.
- Tubular. A heavier lead-acid design built for deep daily cycling. Usually lasts longer than a flat-plate battery of the same size.
- Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). Sold as 12V 100Ah blocks and as 24V and 48V packs of about 2.5kWh, 5kWh and 10kWh. Most include a battery management system (BMS) that protects the cells.
Whatever you buy, the battery must match your inverter's voltage (12V, 24V or 48V) and its charging settings. Your charge controller or inverter must also be set for the right battery type, or it will under-charge or cook the battery. See charge controllers for why that matters.
What a 200Ah solar battery really stores
A 12V 200Ah battery holds about 2.4kWh of energy on paper (12 volts times 200 amp-hours). With lead-acid you should only use about half of that, so plan on roughly 1.2kWh a night. That is enough for LED lights, a TV and phone charging, but not for a fridge and a pump together.
A lithium battery of the same 2.4kWh can safely give most of its capacity, so you get noticeably more usable power from it.
Be careful with very cheap "200Ah" listings. In the listings we checked, some unbranded 200Ah batteries sold for about KSh 9,000 to 10,000, while known brands of tubular and gel 200Ah batteries, such as Ritar, Chloride Exide and Dayliff, sold for KSh 20,000 to 50,000. A battery at half the usual price is often not the capacity printed on its label. Weigh it if you can: a real 200Ah lead-acid battery is very heavy.
How much does a solar battery cost?
From the listings we checked, a 100Ah gel or lead-acid battery typically sells for about KSh 8,500, and a 200Ah one for about KSh 21,500. A 12V 100Ah lithium battery is typically about KSh 25,600, and a 48V pack of about 5kWh about KSh 110,000.
The full table is above, and our solar battery prices page breaks it down by size and brand tier.
Solar panels and battery: sizing the bank
Start from what you want to run at night, not from the battery:
- List each appliance, its watts and the hours you use it after dark. Add them up to get the watt-hours you need.
- For lead-acid, double that figure so you only use half the battery. For lithium, add about 20%.
- Make sure your panels can refill the battery in one day of sun, with something left over for daytime use.
An installer should do this sum with you. If one quotes a battery without asking what you will run, ask someone else. Solar inverters explains how the inverter fits into the same plan.
Getting a battery installed properly
A battery bank with an inverter is more than a single-battery DC kit, and Kenya's solar regulations reserve that work for licensed technicians: EPRA's T2 class covers systems with multiple batteries and an inverter. A licensed company will fit the right fuse or breaker on the battery cable, set the charging profile and give you a warranty in writing.
Below are companies on our directory that list solar batteries. Or send one request and up to 3 licensed installers will quote.