12 BATTERY TECHNOLOGY
12 BATTERY TECHNOLOGY
The future of energy storage
By Mike Elms , Sales and Marketing Director , CENTIEL Ltd
www . centiel . co . uk
In an ever-evolving world the UPS systems of the future will need to be designed with Li-ion in mind
Over the years , individual UPS units have become smaller , lighter , and operate much more efficiently in online mode . In addition , paralleling units together has made UPS systems that are now highly available . However , batteries – that vital DC source which the UPS units need to convert and provide power in the event of a mains supply failure , have not significantly changed for a period of time – the lead-acid battery systems we were using 30 years ago are the same as those we use today .
Up until now , the ‘ go to ’ battery has been the Valve Regulated Lead Acid ( VRLA ) block – the technology is old but proven . As well as being robust and price competitive , the batteries are recyclable and as a result , have been the back up of choice for the vast majority of UPS systems . However , this is all set to change .
It ’ s time to be Li-ion ready Within the next five years we ’ ll start to see the introduction of Lithium-ion ( Li-ion ) batteries to support power protection systems . Li-ion has a number of advantages over lead-acid batteries : they ’ re smaller , lighter and operate at higher temperatures . A full changeover to Li-ion will , however , be more than five years in the future because not all UPS systems on the market are compatible ; not all systems are Li-ion ready , but they need to be .
Li-ion batteries have their origins in the early 1970s . Continued growth and development have been driven by laptops , then mobile phones because we all want our electronics to be smaller , cheaper , more powerful and to operate for longer periods .
Interestingly , the adoption of Li-ion within UPS systems so far has been greater in developing countries in Africa
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