Lead-acid’s share in the exploding large-scale energy storage market will diminish as companies concentrate on other technologies, according to battery-based intelligent storage and grid solution firm Younicos.
Lead-acid’s limitations will see chemistries such as lithium-ion and sodium-sulphur become the technology of choice in the large-scale energy storage industry, the German firm’s spokesman Philip Alexander Hiersemenzel said in an exclusive interview with BEST.
People will continue to use lead-acid, perhaps use more than today, but in terms of the exploding market its share will diminish, Hiersemenszal said.
“The game for lead-acid is over. People won’t stop using it, but it is lithium or other chemistries such as sodium-sulphur or vanadium redox flow.
“Yes, you can use advanced lead-acid but it’s simply not the future. I don’t believe it will grow rapidly because it has been out-invented. When a new one is invented these days, with enormous effort, they make them one, two, perhaps four per cent more efficient and that’s it. It has been out-invented, it’s reached maturity.”
Hiersemenzal believes that people who think lead-acid is cheaper are mistaken.
“What matters is how much over a life-time a kilowatt of energy costs me. So lead-acid costs less to buy, but you have a limited use,” he told BEST.
“For example you cannot drop below 40% state-of-charge and you get a lot fewer cycles. With lithium-ion batteries you might get 5,000 cycles, with whereas lead-acid you get 800-1,000.”
