Green Batteries
Batteries are an integral part of our lives in the 21st century and regardless of whether you use single use batteries or rechargeable batteries it is essential that you use them effectively so that you get the most out of your battery investment.
Whether you are looking for rechargeable batteries out of concern for the environment, for the superior power of rechargeable batteries, or for the money you will save, Greenbatteries.com is the best site to help you make an environmentally friendly rechargeable battery purchase.
Every year over 15 billion batteries are produced and sold worldwide. Many are alkaline batteries which are discarded after a single use. Fortunately, thanks to ongoing advances in both rechargeable batteries and battery chargers, single use alkaline batteries can largely be replaced with higher capacity, environmentally friendly, rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH), Nickel Zinc(NiZN) or Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that last far longer in high drain devices - each time they are charged - and can be used many hundreds of times...saving you tons of money.
The whole of the battery industry is a con - it is all based on consumerism - even alkaline Duracell & Energizer are both slightly rechargeable, but the manufacturers don't want Jo Public re-using things, they just want people to buy more! Domestic Nickel Cadmium rechargeable batteries (Ni-cads) & now even most 'C & D' size Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries (NiMH) are designed to under-perform. Battery rechargers are often designed to over charge batteries & 'cook' them!
More & more batteries are being used in our everyday lives. Most of this use is totally unnecessary, for example in smoke alarms - they should run primarily off mains electricity, with a built in capacitor / rechargable battery backup. Why have so many electronic toys for children? There are some amazing wooden ones around, without all of the toxic plastics & batteries in most of the electronic ones.
A lot of research done on what types of batteries are available (especially for torches, CB's, cycle lights, smoke alarms & mobile phones) and have found that, if people must use batteries, then rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) have the best environmental record of all small batteries on the market. They :
- Have no Cadmium (a very toxic metal).
- Have no memory effect & therefore can be topped up.
- Live longer than Ni-Cads, but do self-discharge slightly quicker.
- Are cheaper to recycle than Ni-Cads.
- Last up to 380% longer per charge, compared with Ni-Cads (depending on size).
- Have a superior temperature range compared to Ni-Cads.
- Do not need discharging, before charging.
- Work in high demand appliances such as photographic cameras & personal organisers.
The AA and AAA sizes are very efficient, having 80% and 70% respectively of the life of the Duracell equivalents. They actually last longer than some standard non-rechargeables!
NiMH are also excellent for using in solar powered battery chargers. Ni-Cads suffer from a memory effect -when charging, you have to ensure that they are totally flat first, otherwise they 'remember' how much charge they used to have and die much quicker. Some solar chargers magnify this effect, because the sun disappears now & again and this can cause lots of 'memory' problems. NiMH have a negligible memory effect - therefore you do not have to flatten them before re-charging, making charging quicker & more convenient. The batteries also live longer. They are branded BST, Vanson & Varta, and are available in the following types:
| Battery size | Capacity - mAh | Price each |
|---|---|---|
| (milliamp hours) | (£) | |
| AAA (MN2400, R03, LR03, HP16, Micro) | 900 | 1.69 |
| AAA Instant - ready to use from the pack and keeps charged for months | 850 | 1.99 |
| AA (MN1500, R6, LR6, HR6, RX6, Mignon) | 2,700 | 1.99 |
| AA Ultra high capacity ( rating is independently tested ) | 2,900 | 2.49 |
| AA Instant - ready to use from the pack and keeps charged for months | 2,100 | 2.49 |
| C (MN1400, R14, LR14, Baby C) | 5,000 | 4.99 |
| D (MN1300, R20, LR20, Mono D) | 10,000 | 6.99 |
| C or D (AA in BLACK battery converter) | 2,700 | 2.78 |
| D (2 AA's in an ORANGE battery converter) | 5,400 | 4.99 |
| PP3 9 volts (MN1604, 0068, AR-9, AR9, 6F22, 6LR61) | 270 | 4.99 |
| CR2 Lithium battery (mains + car charger and 600mA battery is £23.99) | 600 mA | 4.99 |
| CR123 Lithium battery (mains + car charger and 650mA battery is £19.99) | 1000 mA | 8.99 |
The following new green battery technology and related industries developing rapidly. 1. Hydrogen storage material and nickel-metal hydride batteries - nickel metal hydride battery (Ni-MH Rechargeable Battery) 2. Lithium-ion embedded materials and liquid electrolyte lithium-ion battery 3. Polymer electrolyte lithium batteries or lithium ion battery 4. Zinc-air batteries and PEM fuel cells SONY VGP-BPS2 battery SONY VGP-BPS2A Battery SONY VGP-BPS2B Battery SONY VGP-BPS2C Battery Addition to the above, for the rapid growth of China's telecommunications industry, China's battery industry is to promote environmentally friendly high speed mercury-free alkaline manganese in the pond and the rechargeable batteries and sealed lead acid battery technology to develop and expand applications. Rechargeable batteries are mainly two kinds of lead acid batteries and alkaline batteries. The currently used nickel-cadmium NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries are alkaline batteries. Maintenance-free valve-regulated lead-acid battery lead-acid batteries the basic structure shown in Figure 1. It consists of positive and negative electrodes, separators, electrolyte, safety valve, air lock, housing and other components. Cathode active material board is lead dioxide (PbO2), the negative active material for the board's cavernous pure lead (Pb). Electrolyte by the distilled water and pure sulfuric acid is made by a certain percentage of preparation. A certain density of the battery compartment into the electrolyte, due to the electrochemical reaction, positive and negative plates between the electromotive force will produce about 2.1V. The new lead-acid batteries used for the first time, must be fully charged. If charged with 0.1C charge rate, approximately 55 to 75 hours. Normal use the battery discharge is finished, should be immediately charged. Commonly used methods are: (1) grade will flow charging method; (2) low voltage constant voltage charging method (with a load charge); (3) fast charge method. Fast charging time of the initial charge no more than 5 hours, normal charging time can be shortened to 1 hour.
[edit] New Battery Technology
The advancements that are being made in battery technology are pretty mind boggling. We are seeing devices that are drawing power from just about every source that is imaginable, and now there is battery technology from researchers at Imperial College London that may actually have devices that create their own power. From cell phones to cars and everything in between, there may eventually be nothing more needed that to actually use the device.
This incredible new battery technology works because of the material that is being used in the actual construction of the items. The reason that the new material is making headlines is because of the fact that it can be integrated into the design of an automobile and would make it lighter and more fuel efficient, but could actually supply power to recharge the battery of an electric car.
With the material being able to be strong enough for the construction of a car, there are many other possibilities for its use. Right off the bat, devices such as cell phones, iPods, laptops and anything else that you can think of that would use battery power would be able to benefit from this new battery technology.
In the case of portable devices, the entire outer shell would actually be made from this material and would serve as the charging agent. There would simply never be a need to ever plug the device into a charger again. For cars, areas such as the roof or part of a door panel could have the material integrated into it and the power routed to the battery of the automobile. Again, electric or hybrid car owners are spared the inconvenience of having to recharge their batteries.
Because the material is also super lightweight, it will improve the overall performance of the vehicle as well efficiency of the gas mileage. Because of the lighter weight, the cars would also need fewer batteries to power them. With the cost of the batteries being pretty significant, the overall cost of the car would actually come down with new battery technology.
The new technology is just that, new, so there is still a lot of work to be done in order get it to be as effective as possible. The developers are still continuing to find ways to make it stronger, lighter, more durable and of course more energy efficient. In addition, they are seeking ways to make the actual production of the materials needed more cost effective so that the consumer can truly reap the benefits of this incredible new battery technology.
GREEN: New Battery Technology Coming - NiZn
Surprisingly, it's been nearly two decades since the last major advance in battery technology - the commercialization of the lithium-ion cell. This battery type remains the industry's standard for pure electric vehicles because it can deliver more power over a longer period of time at a lower cost than any competitive technology.
However, for what the automotive industry refers to as High Efficiency Vehicles (HEVs) - a.k.a. conventional hybrids - a new battery technology is on the horizon that will make these vehicles less costly, less weighty, and more green (in terms of battery-pack recyclablility).
The new technology comes from the California company PowerGenix. The company holds twenty-three patents (granted and pending) on nickel-zinc batteries. The base formulation for NiZn batteries isn't new (Thomas Edison attempted but gave up on making the formulation work), but as PowerGenix CEO Dan Squiller notes, "What the engineers and chemists at PowerGenix discovered was how to make the elements play nice together and last for an extended period of time while charging and discharging."
Currently, HEVs use nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries. The new NiZn formulation packs 30 percent more power into a package that weighs 30 percent less than NiMH power cells. Moreover, the PowerGenix cells cost 20 percent less and are, according to Squiller, "inherently more recyclable than any other rechargeable battery chemistry commercially available today," partly because NiZn batteries don't require electrode stabilizers. PowerGenix has retrofitted a Toyota Prius with its batteries, reporting solid results from the lightened Toyota.
In spite of this success, don't look for PowerGenix brand batteries to be on sale at your local Radio Shack or under the hood of a Prius anytime soon. Although the company already manufactures its NiZn cells for use in power tools, electric scooters, electric bikes, and for companies selling rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, PowerGenix has opted not to create a brand name for its batteries (the company doesn't want to take on the big-spending bunny). Regarding automotive applications, PowerGenix plans to license its technology.
According to Squiller, the company's batteries will be used in automotive applications (HEVs) in the foreseeable future but probably not sooner than 2011 models. "We expect that HEVs will become a standard of sorts in the next few years," Squiller said, referencing the expansion of the "auto stop" feature on vehicles with standard internal-combustion engines. "These vehicles represent the perfect application of nickel-zinc battery technology, because they need bursts of power for short durations, and this is something that our batteries do very well."
the engine shuts down but all accessories stay running. As in some General Motors hybrids (the Saturn Vue and the Chevrolet Malibu, for example), a helper electric motor can also add torque to the internal-combustion engine. NiZn batteries would supply the power for these applications. Squiller wouldn't comment on which automotive manufacturers might first use PowerGenix NiZn technology, but the CEO hinted that it would be a company known for its "aggressive" pursuit of environmental technologies.
[edit] US Patent Granted for Green Battery Technology
mPhase Technologies, Inc. (OTC BB: XDSL.OB) reported today that it has been granted a United States patent for its concept for a battery that is safer for the environment. mPhase's "greener" battery technology could potentially help to reduce the harmful residual chemicals in a battery once it has reached the end of its life and is discarded. This approach reduces the risk that potentially harmful chemicals will leak through the battery container and pollute the ground or air, after the battery has been disposed of.
The technique described in the patent is based on the idea of neutralizing the harmful chemistry inside the battery by dispensing a neutralizing agent or containment polymer that is located inside the battery fixture and dispensed once the battery is depleted. This process is an important step forward in creating safer, green batteries.
The use of this patented technique may be incorporated into future battery designs by battery vendors, and could be implemented in future designs of the mPhase Smart NanoBattery. The Smart NanoBattery is being developed as part of the U.S. Army STTR Program to develop unique new battery technology for military purposes. The reserve battery design uses electrowetting and microfluidic techniques to selectively activate and control the power generated by the cells in the reserve battery.
