Products

Storage batteries

Lithium and lead storage batteries

Eneria proposes a range of batteries adapted to your needs and that will keep your solutions reliable under any conditions, such as extreme temperatures or isolated sites. Eneria supplies range-topping, high-power batteries for all use cases, from starting engines, to delivering an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or in stationary or mobile hybrid/electric applications.

How to choose between lithium and lead batteries

The two main families of batteries are lithium and lead batteries.
Both of these families contain different types of batteries, mainly in terms of the reaction involved and the nature of the electrodes.

Lead batteries work thanks to the reaction between a lead (Pb) anode and a lead oxide (PbO2) cathode immersed in an acid bath, which is why they are called lead acid batteries. These are the traditional batteries and they still account for a large share of the rechargeable batteries market, thanks mainly to their low cost. There are two types:

open lead batteries: open, because the liquid electrolyte (water and sulphuric acid) causes offgassing of hydrogen and oxygen (electrolysis of the water and evaporation). The electrolysis of the water, or rather the autoprotolysis of the water, is a reaction that mainly occurs when the battery is low and replaces the battery charging reaction. It produces O2 and H2. It can also cause acid seepage on the sides of the battery, which amounts to an acid leak through the seal.
sealed VRLA batteries: Valve Regulated Lead Acid, with reference to the degassing check valve that is operated if the internal gas pressure becomes too high. The valve releases the excess gas contained inside the battery in order to reduce the pressure. These batteries use the same chemistry as open lead batteries, with a few exceptions, because the electrolyte is immobilised by a glass fibre “sponge” or by a gel that recombines the 95% to 99% of the gases produced by the process, compared with 30% in an open battery.

Lithium batteries are more recent and are growing much faster than lead batteries. The electrodes consist of lithium and graphite inserts (mostly) and the reaction is called intercalation. These batteries are connected to a Battery Management System (BMS) that monitors and controls the operation of the battery. There are also two types of lithium batteries:

LiFePO4 (or LFP) batteries, which stands for lithium, iron and phosphate. These batteries are quite versatile and very energy efficient.
NMC batteries, which stands for nickel, manganese and cobalt. These batteries are more powerful and contain more energy that LFP batteries, but they also incur more safety risks.

	Lithium battery LiFePO4 (LFP)	Lithium battery NMC	Open lead battery	VRLA lead battery
Power density	++	+++	+++	+++
Energy density	++ 90 to 120 Wh.kg^-1	+++ 150 to 200 Wh.kg^-1	– 35 to 55 Wh.kg^-1	– 35 to 55 Wh.kg^-1
Lifespan	+++ High number of cycles. Tolerates partial charging without damaging the electrodes.	++ High number of cycles. Tolerates partial charging without damaging the electrodes.	+ Tolerates overcharging.	– Tolerates overcharging.
Temperatures	+++ Between -20 and 60°C Stable up to 200°C (risk of thermal runaway at higher temperatures)	++ Stable up to 150°C (risk of thermal runaway at higher temperatures)	– Sensitive to temperature variations.	– Sensitive to temperature variations.
Care	None	None	Almost none	Regular. Recharge the electrolyte.
Safety.	+ Requires supervision and control (BMS).	– Requires supervision and control (BMS).	+++ No risk of thermal runaway.	++ Requires a ventilated space to evacuate the gas discharges.
Environment	–	–	+	+
Price	Relatively high investment, but a long lifespan.	High investment, but a long lifespan.	Quite economical, because they are traditional, but short lifespan.	Quite economical, because they are traditional, but short lifespan.
Scope of application	Vehicles – Stationary / mobile applications – Starters – Portable equipment with cycling – Multi-purpose	Vehicles – Onboard / mobile solutions – Starters – Relatively multi-purpose	Floating – Starters – Traction (handling trolleys) – Backup power supplies – Robust	Starters (high intensities for short periods) – Cannot be positioned horizontally, because not sealed

How to make the best use of a battery?

Eneria can help you to choose the battery that best meets your needs. Once you have bought your battery, you must follow a few instructions to maintain the battery’s performance over time.

Regularly (once a month), proceed with an equalising charge (charge at a very low amperage in order to equalise the voltage of the accumulators that make up the battery)
Regularly complete a full charge/discharge cycle
For lithium batteries, prefer an operating range at a charge of between 20% and 80%
Refer to the data provided by the manufacturer for the charging voltage
Pay attention to the ambient temperature, because the efficiency of the battery’s reactions vary with the temperature

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Our references

HybridSunBox

Eneria has developed the HybridSunBox hybrid energy production system that uses batteries. Eneria chose to combine the solar energy product and energy storage to the installation of a genset, with a view to cutting consumption by 40%.