Lead batteries can be highly cost effective. They are an established, economical and primarily domestically sourced battery technology. They can meet our growing energy storage needs today – and tomorrow, via an industry that is uniquely poised to scale-up for future demands.
Lead batteries are worth consideration across a wide array of industries, and offer cost-benefit value in comparison to other energy storage chemistries based on specific situations.
Lead batteries have been used worldwide for more than 100 years. They help power innovative and safe energy storage solutions, including large renewable energy storage facilities and an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) for vital telecommunications and data centers.
Lead batteries benefit from a circular economy that includes the design, manufacture, collection and recycling of batteries that contributes to their cost-effectiveness and sustainability. The lead battery industry’s solid manufacturing base and coast-to-coast recycling network are models of efficiency which helps make lead batteries more affordable than other storage options.
These cost-effective, sustainable batteries can help us achieve a cleaner and greener future. Lead batteries are the lowest cost option compared with other battery technologies, in terms of both upfront cost and over the lifetime of the system. An initial investment in batteries at a renewable energy facility is $150-$200/kWh compared to other systems that could cost up to three times as much.
As a leader in circularity and recycling, an amazing 98% of lead batteries are recycled in the U.S. As a result, a new lead battery is typically comprised of 80% recycled lead.
Combined with their circular economy and responsible end-of-life protocol, lead batteries are also the most sustainable energy storage.
Advanced lead batteries are predicted to be the most cost effective way to meet fuel economy targets. Through start-stop technology, made possible by advanced lead batteries, the feature stops the engine when the car idles, keeps accessories powered, and seamlessly restarts when the driver is ready.
In addition, start-stop technology boosts fuel economy though engine-off time, which can yield fuel savings ranging from 5–10%.
Today, nearly every new car and truck now includes a lead battery for starting, lighting, ignition (SLI) functions. It is foretasted that between 2016–2020, the market for start-stop enabled vehicles will surge from 25 million to 65 million vehicles in North America, Europe and China.
Decoupling power and energy delivery is at the frontier of long‑duration energy storage. No other technology can separate these functions as efficiently as flow batteries.
