Should I bet on the near-term future of battery technology?

[openplanet]

I need to purchase a new 48 volt battery bank. Intend to buy 8, 6-volt batteries in the 350ah range. If quality and longevity were my highest priority (which they might be) I'd buy Rolls. But my question is this: Given the blazing pace of change in battery technology, would it be smarter to go with the cheapest possible solution that'll get me through a couple years, on the assumption that at that point there will almost certainly be more cost-effective options.

Just interested to know people's thoughts.

[azdave]

Do you think something new is coming along soon that would significantly increase battery performance but not cost significantly more?

If a battery that lasts 30 years is invented tomorrow it will very likely cost you more than 30-years worth of today's batteries to purchase.

[J.P.M.]

Do you think something new is coming along soon that would significantly increase battery performance but not cost significantly more?

If a battery that lasts 30 years is invented tomorrow it will very likely cost you more than 30-years worth of today's batteries to purchase.

And perhaps one other consideration, for a residential application, and as an approx. guess only, is the cost of such a 30 yr. battery approx. equal to or less than the net present worth of the cost of 30 years of POCO electricity it would offset, time shift or otherwise replace ?