New lithium battery energy storage efficiency of 95% reduces the cost of solar power

This new type of lithium battery is expected to increase energy storage efficiency and reduce the cost of solar power generation.


Compared with traditional lead-acid batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries are more efficient, have a longer life, lighter weight and lower unit cost. Source: University of Southampton

A joint research project conducted by the University of Southampton and REAPsystems, a lithium-ion battery technology company, found that a new type of battery is expected to increase efficiency and reduce the cost of solar power generation.

The funder of the research project is Lipu Systems Inc., and the company’s leader is Yue Wu, a master of sustainable energy technology, and his inspector, Dr. Carlos Ponce de Leon, Tom Mark. Professor Mark Vart and Dr. John Low (currently working at the Industrial Institute of the University). This study specifically examined the use of lithium-ion batteries as energy storage devices for photovoltaic systems.

** said, "lead-acid batteries are traditional energy storage devices for most photovoltaic systems. However, as energy storage devices, lithium batteries, especially the lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries we use, have more favorable features. ”

The collection of these data requires the connection of a lithium iron phosphate battery and a photovoltaic system installed in a university building using a specially designed battery management system provided by Rip Systems.

**Additionally, "Research shows that this kind of lithium battery has an energy efficiency of 95%, while the current lead-acid battery is only about 80%. Lithium-ion batteries have a lower weight and have a longer service life than lead-acid batteries. The batteries can reach 1600 charge/discharge cycles, which means they do not need to be replaced frequently."

This type of battery requires further testing before it can enter commercial photovoltaic power generation systems, but this study shows that lithium iron phosphate batteries are expected to increase the efficiency of solar power systems and help reduce installation and maintenance costs. Dr. Carlos Ponce de Leon and John M. Now plan to push this project further, for the newly admitted master graduate students.

Dr. Dennis Doerffel, who is the founder of Rip Systems and a former researcher at the University of Southampton, said: "For various energy sources (renewable or non-renewable), energy storage devices such as batteries It plays an important role in determining the utilization of energy.Compared with traditional lead-acid batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries are more efficient, have longer life, lighter weight and lower unit cost. We can see that this The batteries are expected to be widely used in photovoltaic systems and other renewable energy systems."