| Energy Storage |
| ---When using this page, notice that underlined portions are web links--- --Energy Storage Energy Storage is still expensive and inefficent compared with how effeciently some machines that we have made to use energy. I am interested in lead-acid, larger NiMH (Nickle-Metal Hydride), smaller NiMH, and lithium-ion batteries. --Lead Acid Batteries Deep cycle lead acid batteries are currently the cheapest long-term solution to energy storage concerns. Efficiencies vary on factors such as wire size and battery storage temperature. Some cheap places to buy deep cycle lead-acid batteries are from sunelectics, such as trojan t-105's for $53.00 (click here and sometimes here), and earlier I found some trojan t-105s for the same price at Trastechnology. --Large NiMH cells Larger NiMH cells are available through a company called BatterySpace, Onlybatterypacks.com, and an electric bicycle company called Power Assist. You can also get customised NiMH or Lithium-ion cells at ultralife battery, or from Saft Battery Company. --Small NiMH batteries I have a number of battery links for small NiMH batteries. One good website to help understand what is out there is Onlybatteries.com. Since I have made this webpage, batteries have gone up a bit in quality and down in price. AA: Walmart now sells a 1.2v 2300mah battery for both Energizer and another brand for under $2.00 each. I used to keep track of the price of these batteries, but I can no longer spend the time to keep up with battery changes. There is now a 2600mah AA battery on the market and Energizer now has a 2500mah battery on the market.. --Litihium-Ion Batteries Lithium-ion batteries are not commercially available in regular sizes for recharging because of the concern many people have that they will be mistaken for the 1.2 or 1.25 volt batteries that are normally used for portable electronics. Hopefully the more powerful lithium-ion batteries will be available in a more convenient AA or similar size in the future. Only Batteries.com sells some lithium-ion rechargable batteries ,if you can figure out how to recharge them, that come in a size a little larger than a AA. If you are interested, there are Cr-F-Li batteries now available at: Everspring.net. These large Cr-F-Li batteries cost as little as 45 cents per watt, and their density is over twice that of a 2400 mah NiMH AA battery. --Hydrogen-Fuel of the Future Imagine a fuel that could be used to make electricity or heat, be clean, and be completely renewable. This is, for the most part, what hydrogen is. Hydrogen can be stored in propane containers or, more safely, in metal hydride containers. The propane containers are too large for transportation purposes, and the metal hydride containers are expensive and have a short lifespan. Metal Hydride containers are available on the web at Ergenics.com. You can see what hydrogen uses are available at Fuelcellstore.com and greenvolt.com. Both of these stores sell fuel cells and electrolyser. An electolyser seperates water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then stored and can later be used in a fuel cell. A fuel cell recombines oxygen and hydrogen at a very efficient rate to create electricity. I have a picture of fuel cells on the background of this page. Hydrogen can also be burned to create heat. However, in the burning process, Nitrogen Oxides are produced from the high combustion temperature. This technology has been around for a while, but is still highly expensive and tricky. Many people have a fear of hydrogen because of its highly explosive nature. --Net Metering: Grid Storage Another way to store energy is to send out the excess power through the electric grid. Most states allow for this service. This is the way that it works: The electricity you produce is subtracted from the total energy you consume. Thus, your electric bill will be less or zero, because the electricity you produced made the meter run backwards. This is no way to make money however, because the electric company pays the electricity producer nothing at the end of the year for excess electricity produced. Net metering laws in the U.S. and individual states can be found here. Most states allow for net metering. Some, such as Colorado, charge a monthly fee for this service, while other states do not. Some electric companies allow you to sing up for a TOU, or Time Of Usage electrical contract, where the peak electrical usage time (during the day) is worth more in cents per kilowatt hours than during the night (when a person owning a photovoltaic solar system would most likely be home to use the power. |