Page 58 - North American Clean Energy July/August 2019 Issue

energy storage
Lead Batteries Upgrade to the
21st Century
by Paul Bundschuh
THE LEAD BATTERY WAS INVENTED IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
Today, in the 21st century, it remains the most commonly used rechargeable battery, in spite of the emergence of newer technologies such as lithium-ion. When it comes to key performance indicators – safety, reliability, sustainability, and initial cost ($/kWh) – the lead battery has few competitors, whether for powering our cars, providing standby power, or storing energy to optimize new renewable inputs.
e lead battery hasn’t just survived. e industry is accelerating the pace of innovation and improving performance factors such as cycle life, water loss, self discharge, internal resistance, and charge acceptance – all of which directly impact safety, reliability, sustainability, and costs in a market expected to reach $84.46 billion by 2025.
Safety
Lead batteries have an unmatched record for safety. Lithium-ion batteries, on the other hand, continue to have signi cant safety issues in both electric vehicles and grid storage applications. Even if the lithium industry continues to improve on safety issues—like self-combustion—it is unlikely to site commercial- and grid- scale lithium batteries
in dense urban settings (such as the basements of Manhattan high-rises) due to the inherent ammability of lithium material.
Reliability
Lead batteries have been relied upon extensively for 160 years. ey’re used in a wide range of temperatures and operating conditions; due to their higher reliability, even fully-electric vehicles (with lithium-ion batteries) use 12V lead batteries to power their most critical computer and electronic controls.
Sustainability
According to Battery Council International, more than 99 percent of the lead batteries in the U.S. are recycled - all of the materials can be reused. In fact, more than 60 percent of the lead used by lead battery manufacturers in the U.S. comes from recycled batteries instead of virgin lead material.
Because they can be economically recycled, lead batteries have high residual value, which further reduces their economic cost. Compare this to lithium batteries, which only have about a 5 percent recycle rate. Improving the recycle rate for lithium-ion batteries will likely require a signi cant subsidy, but this is not cost competitive with virgin sources, and will only add to the battery’s costs. Usually, the recycling of lead batteries is included in their price; for Li-ion batteries, this is not the case.
Additionally, lead batteries are greener than lithium-ion; they have less embedded energy and carbon dioxide in their manufacture, are sourced and recycled in North America, and are not dependent on foreign, and possibly unstable sources for raw materials.
Cost
ough certain storage battery
systems can be comparable in
cost, the initial cost per kWh
of lead batteries is generally
about 1/3 that of lithium-ion
batteries. But if lead is more
cost e ective, why isn’t it used
more widely in grid storage? In fact,
it is becoming more widely used – the
Consortium for Battery Innovation website
(www.batteryinnovation.org) highlights lead battery applications for grid storage with a searchable map of installations. Lead batteries continue to be the standard for grid backup power in applications such as data centers, hospitals, and telecom. Lithium has gained more recognition recently for newer applications such as frequency regulation and time shifting of renewable energy supply—speci cally solar and wind—but lead batteries are proving e ective and cost-competitive in these applications as well.
Major Innovations in Lead Battery Technology
As the North American lead battery industry continues to accelerate innovation with increased battery lifecycle and other performance improvements, the gains in safety, reliability, and sustainability will not only make lead more competitive with lithium, but—just as importantly—it will help manufacturers and other high energy consumers reduce costs and grow their bottom line.
Argonne National Lab – the premier Department of Energy National Lab focused on battery technology – has established an industry collaboration with 14 U.S. lead battery manufacturers and suppliers to continue this drive for innovation. With this public-private partnership leading the way, the market can soon expect to see critical advancements in areas such as battery design, carbon technologies, lead oxide technologies, and new electrolytes.
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