Patrick Moseley

Abstract:

There is no doubt that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere has risen steadily since the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century. The moderation of climate change is perhaps the most important long-term challenge that confronts the world today and, as long as uncertainty over its origins prevails, it is prudent to work towards limiting the emissions of carbon dioxide. The International Energy Agency estimates that, in order to limit the average rise in global temperature to 2°C, it will be necessary to cut global emission of carbon dioxide by 50% from its 2009 level by 2050. Batteries based on lead acid chemistry are likely to remain the lowest cost option for some time to come and thus represent the best hope of large-scale uptake of new schemes aimed at reduction of carbon dioxide emissions provided that such batteries are able to perform the necessary function for an acceptable life. Despite the antiquity of the system, it has been possible to modify the design of lead acid batteries in a relatively simple manner to allow them to cope with all of the challenges of novel vehicles and the storage of renewable energy. The key is to make use of appropriate forms of carbon in the construction of the negative plate. This can be accomplished in several ways with the result that so-called lead carbon batteries are able to maintain a high level of dynamic charge acceptance in order to accommodate regenerative braking energy and, in at least one embodiment, for the individual cells of a long string to remain in-balance for a long service life without the need for intrusive battery management.