The Department of Energy’s 2023 Energy Storage Grand Summit, came together on July 25, 2023. Their statement of intent confirmed, “There has never been a more exciting time to be in the field of energy storage”. Their focus included lead acid battery development, which DOE has already classified as, “better positioned to meet target energy storage goals” than lithium-ion.
Developing Lead Acid Batteries for Energy Storage
The Energy Storage Grand Summit sponsored by DOE reached these four major conclusions.
- Lithium-ion batteries will only become economically viable for renewable energy storage, if we spend more money on research,
- This investment might cost one billion dollars for at least a decade, before we reach the price goal.
- However other technologies, including lead batteries could become equally viable, and we would need to spend far less.
- The investment in lead-acid batteries would be only a fifth of the lithium-ion outlay. We could start seeing lead battery benefits after five years.
Why the DOE Interest in Lead Batteries Now?
Lead-acid batteries have a great reputation for inexpensive, safe performance. They are a practical, ‘what-you-buy-is-what-you-get solution’, with the added advantage of being readily recyclable. However, their basic technology is a century old, and they don’t last as long as lithium-ion batteries do.
Notwithstanding that, there has been slow, steady lead acid battery development over the past few decades. The product has evolved to the point where it provides reliable, dependable backup to data centers and telecommunication hubs. UPS Battery Center supplies deep cycle lead batteries for a number of specialist applications.
U.S Department of Energy Earthshots division published an assessment of the future of lead-acid chemistry, in July 2023. This noted that the technology may need extensive modification to meet the new storage challenges.
However elsewhere, U.S. Department of Energy has begun a program to unlock latent prospects of lead batteries. That’s potential to improve their cycle life and density, while retaining the solid reliability that so many customers trust.
More Information
Lead or Lithium-Ion Data Center Batteries
What’s Inside Lead-Acid Batteries?
Preview Image: 2023 Energy Storage Grand Summit
