5 Types of Batteries You Should Know About

With the rapidly growing need for energy storage, consumers, businesses and industry are increasingly looking at (home) batteries. Whether it concerns the storage of self-generated solar power, or the smart purchase of grid power during off-peak hours. These are five important battery types that you as an installer should definitely know

Lithium-ion

Home batteries that use lithium-ion are especially compact and light compared to other types of batteries and are therefore frequently used. In addition to being quick to charge, they have a high energy density. This allows them to store more energy in less space than, for example, lead-acid batteries, which we will discuss later. Ideal for users is that virtually no maintenance is required. Another advantage is the high discharge depth, which means that a large part of the stored energy can be used and the efficiency is therefore high. With lithium-ion there is a risk of ignition due to thermal instability, but with correct installation and under normal (usage) conditions, little can go wrong. Lithium-ion batteries last a long time, although complete discharge leads to loss of capacity and therefore a shortened lifespan.

Lead acid

Lead-acid batteries use proven technologies that have been around for a long time. For users with a limited budget, it is interesting that these batteries are cheaper than lithium-ion, for example, and that high currents are possible. Because the energy density is quite low, these batteries are large and heavy. Therefore, sufficient space must be available. Furthermore, the lifespan is considerably shorter compared to many other types of batteries and this decreases considerably if lead-acid batteries are discharged too deeply. This depth of discharge is also on the low side, which means that the batteries have to be recharged much more often, which again shortens the lifespan. Due to the toxic and hazardous substances, the room must be ventilated to prevent harmful gases from accumulating. Furthermore, regular maintenance is required for the installation.

Saltwater

A relatively new and environmentally friendly way of storing energy, especially compared to lithium-ion and lead acid, is the saltwater battery. Sustainable also because the raw materials can be found locally and are not scarce or come from conflict areas. This type of battery also requires little maintenance and this time the discharge depth is almost one hundred percent. All stored capacity can therefore be used by the user, without any wear or loss of capacity. This battery also has a particularly long lifespan, again compared to other types of batteries. In addition to the fact that a saltwater battery is harmless to the environment, it is not flammable or explosive. Harmless and therefore no additional safety measures or additional installations such as ventilation, air conditioning or heating are required. A disadvantage is that the energy density is limited, which means that saltwater batteries again require a lot of space and are heavy. Furthermore, these batteries are less efficient at handling peak currents, which means that both charging and discharging are relatively slow.

Lithium Iron Phosphate Home Battery

This battery type is a variant of the lithium-ion battery that we have already encountered. A lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO4 or LFP) has a high energy density and can therefore store a lot of energy in a relatively small and light housing. It has a long lifespan, requires little to no maintenance and can achieve high charging and discharging speeds. In addition, it is a very safe battery type that is much less sensitive to overheating, for example, thanks to its high thermal stability. The batteries can be charged quickly, can be fully discharged, perform very well under extreme temperatures and do not contain toxic heavy metals such as lead or cadmium, making them more environmentally friendly compared to many other battery types.

Flow battery

A young, emerging technology is the so-called flow battery, mainly intended for large-scale installations. A flow battery contains two chambers or tanks containing a water-based electrolyte fluid. This fluid is pumped through an electrochemical cell to transfer energy, both during charging and discharging. A membrane in this cell ensures that an exchange of ions is possible, while the two fluids remain strictly separated. Scaling up the storage capacity can be done by using larger storage tanks. Flow batteries are very large, they are an expensive type of battery and both the charging and discharging speed are very low. The batteries are low-maintenance and have a discharge depth of one hundred percent, without this affecting the already very long lifespan. There is still a lot of research and development taking place in the field of flow batteries. Such as the search for raw materials that are not scarce, do not come from conflict areas and are environmentally friendly.