Often criticized for not having the same base load capabilities as coal, natural gas or nuclear, renewable energy has lacked the ability to provide a constant source of energy. Furthermore, the dominance of internal combustion engine vehicles ICEVs has rested on the mileage of their electric counterparts — until recently.
Base load energy usually refers to the minimum power generation capability of a certain energy source, whereby it is able to produce the minimum amount of energy required by a power grid at any given time without interruption.
For example, coal, nuclear, or natural gas power plants are able to assure base load power as long as there is fuel to burn, while the intermittency of renewables has always raised questions as to their reliability as a major energy source.
However, as sustainable energy sources have become cheaper to implement and technological advances in power storage have revolutionized the electronics industry, there is a new debate regarding the concept of base load energy when it comes to renewables.
Electric double-decker buses, built by the Chinese manufacturer BYD, already ply the streets of London. Elon Musk has announced plans for an electric truck. But the energy density required for heavy transport makes it a lot harder for batteries to beat fossil fuels. Will we all be flying around in electric jumbo jets soon? The lithium in the batteries comes mainly from three big producer countries, Australia, Argentina and Chile, along with emerging producers such as Bolivia, Brazil, Canada and Zimbabwe.
Water consumption and scarcity in some producer countries is the big concern here. What happens to the batteries towards the end of their life is also a big challenge.
Some now have a second life as a home battery, but he fears the market could be saturated in a few years, undermining the financial case for reuse. The bigger and denser the battery, the more chemical energy it can store and therefore the more electricity it can generate. But a bigger, denser battery is more expensive, heavier, takes longer to charge and has more potential for destruction if things go wrong. The chemistry and internal construction of the battery also plays a role in how much energy it can store.
Lithium-based batteries are popular because they have a relatively high energy-to-weight ratio and maintain their charge well when not in use. In most devices, battery life is a trade-off between physical size, design, energy density and safety, alongside the energy efficiency of the device it powers.
Most batteries can only maintain their full capacity for a finite time and number of charge and discharge cycles. The exact process of battery ageing is still a hot research topic, but there are several mechanisms at play that occur when the battery is used or stored. The most common is the build-up of material on the anode, which slowly gets deposited when the battery is used or stored.
A similar oxidation can also occur on the cathode, while the active ingredients of the battery can react and degrade over time. A combination of these effects reduce the amount of lithium ions and active material available for storing electricity, therefore reducing maximum capacity.
But the internal resistance of the battery can also increase as it ages, meaning its peak power output is lower, a process that causes issues in iPhones. How a battery is used and stored can dramatically affect its ageing. For instance, batteries can be damaged by exposing them to extremes of temperature, which is more problematic for a car or similar than a smartphone.
Rapid cycling of the battery also increases wear, particularly if the power demands on the battery are very high, as is the case with electric cars.
Charging and using the battery to its extremes also accelerates ageing, such as charging batteries to their maximum and discharging them to zero. But, in the next decade or so, you might find yourself recharging from a grid supported by Blue Batteries. With increased refinement, they are expected to offer a real alternative that will change our relationship with renewables. All rights reserved.
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