Battery Technology

Batteries have come a long way. There are still a lot of things we can do with existing technologies and this was covered in Making Batteries Better.

Lithium Ion Battery

The leading Rechargeable Battery Technology at present is the Lithium Ion Battery because of the high energy density and reduced weight compared to Lead Acid Battery technology. But there is a problem with them wanting to explode so a lot of care is required in both making and using the Lithium Ion Batteries. And there are different types suited to different applications including non-rechargeable Primary Cell application.

Sodium Ion Battery

An emerging Battery Technology is the Sodium Ion battery. And it has a number of advantages.

Sodium Ion Battery Pack

The advantages it brings to the table are:

• not a rare material like Lithium
• much more stable
• can be charged faster
• can deliver higher discharge currents
• are able to supply the same voltage range (around 3.6V)
• will be cheaper to make, and use, and recycle

The idea has been around since the 1970s but took a back seat to Lithium Ion Battery technology. Now Sodium Ion Battery technology it is coming to the fore and key researchers in Australia are helping to make that happen. The diagram below shows how it works. Click on the diagram for a full sized view.

This schematic illustrates the functioning of sodium-ion batteries. The high cost and scarcity of lithium are driving research to develop alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, especially to meet future needs in energy storage. One potential alternative is sodium-ion batteries. (Purdue University image/Vilas Pol)

Some further reading for those interested:

• Sodium Ion Batteries Show Enhanced Performance
• Australia pursues the Sodium battery dream
• Sodium Ion Battery Packs a Punch
• How Long Before Sodium Batteries Are Worth Their Salt?

Better and more affordable batteries will be one aspect of adding storage to the Electrical Grid and make renewables more viable for base load demand satisfaction.

Successful Endeavours specialise in Electronics Design and Embedded Software Development, focusing on products that are intended to be Made In Australia. Ray Keefe has developed market leading electronics products in Australia for more than 30 years. This post is Copyright © 2018 Successful Endeavours Pty Ltd.