Google-Translation from Russian:
September was remembered by power industry specialists with a loud announcement of a new type of batteries, developed by the American company Zinc8. We are talking about the so-called zinc air (VC) batteries. In a very simplified way to imagine the principle of their operation, then the generation of electricity in them occurs due to the oxidation of the surface of the zinc electrode with oxygen from the air. And if you pass current through the battery, then the reverse process will go - cleaning the surface of the electrode from oxide, in this way, electrical energy is stored.
The most important advantage of VC-batteries, according to the developers, is the low cost of storing 1 kWh of electricity - $ 95 versus $ 300 for lithium-ion batteries. And, which is important in the context of the US trade war with China, all materials for VC-batteries can be mined in North America (the world´s largest lithium deposits are located in China). Also, VC-batteries are less flammable and more environmentally friendly in production and disposal than lithium-ion batteries.
Based on the new product, Zinc8 plans to create a modular UPS system called ESS, which, depending on the assembled configuration, can supply a load from 20 kW to 50 MW for a period of time from 8 to 100 or even more hours. The first VC-accumulators should come off the assembly line at the end of this year, the commercial use of the technology should take place before 2023. In theory, VC technology is capable of providing even higher energy storage density than lithium-ion.
However, the technology of VC power supplies is actually not fundamentally new. This branch of the development of energy accumulation was once recognized as unpromising, but now it is revived on a new basis.
The principle of operation of VC-batteries was invented in the USA in the 50s of the XX century. VTS-batteries were mass-produced all over the world in the 60-80s. In the USSR, batteries "Krona VTs" were very popular. According to the manufacturer´s documentation, these batteries could only be used once, but radio enthusiasts found that this type of power supply could be recharged multiple times, up to 5 times.
With a large capacity, VC-batteries had a significant drawback - a relatively fast self-discharge. Immediately before use, the VC battery was removed from a sealed package that did not allow air to pass through, or a special plug was removed, after which the process of oxidation of the electrodes began even without load. The battery had to be used within six months after opening the package (removing the cap). Because of this, in the 90s, VC-batteries were replaced by alkaline (alkaline) batteries, their production continues only for special applications.
The recharge rate of modern VC-accumulators is already measured in thousands of cycles. However, it is not reported how the self-discharge problem was solved by Zinc8. But even if the battery is able to hold a charge for only six months, this is a perfectly acceptable indicator for a UPS.
Read the full article at the source:
https://www.elec.ru/articles/sentyabr-2020-ibp-berut-kosmicheskie-vysoty/
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