How can we store electricity?
Storing electricity isn’t easy. You can’t simply
plug it in and turn it on whenever you want—that’s just not how electricity
works. Thankfully, there are several ways to store electricity and release it
when needed, including batteries, hydrogen cells, and hydroelectricity to name
a few.
Charge ‘em up
As our demand for electricity increases (and it’s
expected to increase a lot over the next decade or so), we need a way to store
some of that power for future use. That’s where batteries come in. While there
are many types of batteries—conventional lead-acid batteries are common in cars
but also found on airplanes; silver-zinc batteries last longer but aren’t as
efficient—they all function on pretty much one principle. In short, they generate
electricity through chemical reactions within a positively charged terminal
(cathode) and a negatively charged terminal (anode). There can be more than two
terminals—batteries often include an electrolyte solution between those two
terminals that helps maintain an electric current.
Lead-acid
batteries are popular in cars because they’re relatively cheap, but they have a
low energy density. In other words, they can only store small amounts of power
before losing effectiveness. That’s why it takes so many lead-acid batteries to
power an electric car instead of just one or two lithium-ion batteries—lithium
is capable of storing much more energy within a given space. The downside to
lithium is that it can catch fire if you overcharge or damage it. To make
things safer (and more efficient), scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory in California designed what could be called a smart battery that
manages its own state-of-charge (SOC) based on charge/discharge profiles or
other SOC monitoring technologies.
Battery Basics
At their core, batteries store electricity by moving
charged particles (electrons) from one terminal to another. As a simple
analogy, think of a battery like an office building with two floors. For electricity to move from one floor to another in your building, you need an
elevator. But what if you want to add more floors?
This analogy
represents how a battery works. At its core is an electrolyte solution that
contains two metal terminals (like opposite sides of an office floor). To
create electricity in your elevator example, you need to connect one terminal
with a circuit outside of your battery—in effect adding floors to your
building. An up terminal is also known as a cathode, while a down terminal is called
an anode.
Alternating Current
The reason alternating current is used to transmit
electricity from power plants over long distances is that it can be easily
stepped down to lower voltages. This makes it easy for us to plug into
household outlets at 110 or 120 volts. This can also cause damage if we
accidentally get 120 volts of AC at home when our appliances are supposed to be
plugged in at just 110. If you know what you’re doing, you can use a voltage
reducer (called a power converter) to bring AC from 220v down to 110v but it’s
risky unless you know exactly how much electricity your device draws about how much your outlet provides.
If you want
to run devices that use a higher voltage than your local outlets offer, or if
you want to take advantage of renewable power sources like solar power at home,
then you’ll need a DC power source. Most small appliances use AC but there are
some devices available that will charge batteries using direct current. Just be
sure that your device is compatible with 12-volt DC electricity before plugging
it in to avoid damaging your device. There are also portable batteries called
deep cycle batteries which can be charged by solar panels or wind turbines.
These can store energy in their internal chemical reactions until they’re
needed and can then produce electricity for any type of appliance (AC or DC) as
long as they have enough juice.
The Future of Batteries
When it comes to storing energy, lithium-ion batteries are near and dear to our hearts. We all have more of them in our laptops and phones than we could ever imagine. But what’s next? Lithium-air batteries may be coming sooner than you think. While they aren’t as powerful or dense as lithium-ion technology (yet), these newfangled batteries boast an impressive 10x increase in capacity compared to today’s standard at a similar price point. In short, there will be more storage for less money—and soon! And if that wasn’t good enough news for you, scientists are working on exciting ways to use graphene in batteries so they can last longer and charge faster than anything available today.
Why are scientists so excited about lithium-air batteries? It all comes down to capacity. A standard lithium-ion battery holds about 200 watt-hours per kilogram of battery weight—it’s not very dense! The best lithium-air batteries can hold up to 1,900 watt hours per kilogram—that’s 3.2x more than today’s best battery tech. That increased density could allow manufacturers to create smartphones that charge in minutes or an electric car that lasts over 400 miles on a single charge! But you don’t need to wait for futuristic batteries to become available; we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve right now!
Pros and Cons of Different Battery Types
All
batteries will degrade over time. Flooded lead-acid batteries are usually rated
for about five years of service. If you don’t mind servicing your own battery
bank or if you can afford to have a professional handle it, then flooded
lead-acid batteries may be right for you. On the downside, they need to be
refilled with distilled water at least once every six months (the frequency
depends on usage patterns) and they require regular monitoring because sulfate
crystals may form on their plates if they are left in a discharged state for
too long. In addition, they vent hydrogen gas while charging which is explosive
if exposed to an ignition source or when concentrated inside a closed space;
explosive hydrogen gas is also released whenever these batteries are drained
down below 10 volts.
Flooded
lead-acid batteries are commonly used in households as a power source for smoke
detectors. This battery type is relatively inexpensive to buy and fairly easy
to maintain. Flooded lead-acid batteries have a nominal voltage of 12 volts.
They also have a reserve capacity of 80% meaning that they can deliver 80% of
their rated ampere-hour (Ah) at 20 hours after being fully charged; as they
near depletion they deliver less current until ultimately reaching a point
where they can only be recharged with a trickle charge. If properly maintained
these batteries can last five years or longer but will require refilling during
that period.
Gel
batteries are more expensive than flooded lead-acid batteries but have a longer
lifespan; they can last as long as 20 years. Gel batteries
are sealed so that you never need to add water or perform any maintenance. On
top of that, they don’t lose much capacity over time, allowing you to get up to
70% discharge when brand new. Although gel batteries don’t lose their charge as
quickly as flooded lead-acid batteries they do lose capacity if they are left
unused for too long.