10
votes
Accepted
Are rechargeable batteries better for the environment than disposables even if the batteries are recycled?
According to this study by Uniross, yes - rechargables are beneficial overall. Up to 32 times more beneficial! This is mainly due to reducing the amount of energy required to manufacture - as well as ...
- 430
9
votes
Does it matter where I charge my device?
Yes, it matters, a little, but it also depends on your location.
In your car, the process of converting fuel to movement is pretty inefficient (about 25% to 30%, according to this). That movement (...
- 8,725
8
votes
How to ensure you are using efficient chargers for cell phones, laptop computers, and other electronic devices?
Power ratings -- choose level VI
Take a look at any external power supply (EPS) you have lying around -- you should notice, along with all the regulatory markings, a roman numeral I through VI in a ...
- 11.2k
6
votes
Accepted
What is the most economical and convenient house battery type?
Lithium-Ion electric car batteries would do the job, but they are too expensive and I am not sure about their lifetime. A pack of ordinary lead acid car batteries seems to be a more affordable ...
- 2,874
5
votes
Accepted
How feasible would a gas-powered electric-engine based car be?
It would work, but there isn't much reason to do it. If you do this without batteries, you are giving up most of the potential advantages.
If you simply have an internal combustion engine (petrol or ...
- 3,601
5
votes
Accepted
Is Lithium mining any better for the environment than fossil fuel extraction?
Your friend is wrong and here's why.
Lithium is mined once and can be reused in any number of vehicles. When the vehicle breaks, its lithium will replace newly mined lithium. If we need let's say 2 ...
- 2,874
5
votes
Is Lithium mining any better for the environment than fossil fuel extraction?
I am not an expert on mining, but I do know my way on fossil fuel extraction. Getting oil from the earth and making it into fuel is not as easy as it sounds, and really the process is way more ...
- 69
5
votes
Accepted
Any electric vehicle that can be used as a home energy storage?
You would need an EV that supports bi-directional loading, so that means one that uses the CHAdeMO charging system of Nissan and Mitsubishi. The CCS charging system that's popular in Europe and the US ...
- 14k
4
votes
How feasible would a gas-powered electric-engine based car be?
The concept has been used in heavy duty mining trucks for decades. Diesel powered locomotive engines power an electric generator that then powers electric motors located on the rear axles of the ...
- 3,152
4
votes
Can I use Ni-MH batteries in my garden solar lights?
Based on this article, it sounds like the NiMH batteries could be safely used with a charging system that is designed to slowly charge NiCad batteries.
However, the lifetime of a NiMH battery ...
- 8,725
4
votes
Accepted
The more miles a car drives, the more economical battery packs become?
The immediate previous sentence says:
The other unknown that BNEF considers is the rise of autonomous cars and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, which would all put more cars on the road ...
- 308
4
votes
To what extent (if any) are electric vehicle batteries recyclable?
Li-Ion batteries are worth recycling just for the lithium in them. This material can be re-refined, and made into new batteries. In this use they should show similar cost savings to recycled vs new ...
- 7,009
4
votes
Will customer preference drive adoption of energy storage the same way as EVs and solar power?
Customer preference has been crucial at the start of adoption. Early adopters are driven more by non-financial features than by price. However, those early adopters only take a market so far. At the ...
- 14.6k
3
votes
Accepted
With two 50W panels best to wire in series or parallel?
Energy losses in a cable — due to resistance — are proportional to the current squared (I²). Thus if you double the current (by putting your panels in parallel) then you'll quadruple your losses ( (...
- 2,734
3
votes
The more miles a car drives, the more economical battery packs become?
The article is considering the total costs of ownership of electric vs internal combustion engined (ICE) cars, including purchase and running costs. One of the benefits of electric cars is that fuel ...
- 3,601
3
votes
What's the most sustainable way of disposing with a used battery?
Burying it is a bad idea particularly for lead acid batteries. The case will eventually break down, then the solutions will leach downward into the water table.
Here we have to put down a $10 ...
- 7,009
3
votes
How long to charge 12v deep cycle battery?
Recharging details for lead-acid batteries are detailed in many places (for example).
Quoting the linked site:
Recharge time can be approximated by dividing the amp hours to be
replaced by 90% of ...
- 1,570
3
votes
Accepted
How long will a 12V Koolatron compact cooler last with 12Ah battery?
Despite advertising "low power draw," the power is not available in any materials I can find, but the current is given as "approximately 4.5 amps." The technology used is thermoelectric refrigeration (...
- 11.2k
2
votes
How do I recycle batteries in Argentina?
My Spanish isn't great, but I think that on the website of this Argentinian recycling company called Silkers SA they are saying that you should:
Check the website of the producer of the battery if ...
- 14k
2
votes
Battery Positive Terminal Growth
I've read somewhere that this occurs because over time the positive plates of lead acid batteries corrode. The plates grow and start pushing at the weakest point which usually is the pole.
This ...
- 14k
2
votes
What are lead crystal batteries?
Lead crystal batteries (at least the ones I'm familiar with) are batteries that use salt crystals as the electrolyte. There are many different crystals that can be used. I have been experimenting with ...
- 59
2
votes
How long to charge 12v deep cycle battery?
Jean-Paul's answer is part of the story. Charging rate influences the life of the battery.
High power rate batteries (car starters) maximize the plate surface. They are designed to deliver a lot ...
- 7,009
2
votes
To what extent (if any) are electric vehicle batteries recyclable?
Battery recycling today is handled by 3rd parties. This leads to issues of economic value on materials extracted since they must cover a large variety of battery types and cannot specialize on any one....
- 181
2
votes
To what extent (if any) are electric vehicle batteries recyclable?
It appears that currently (late December 2020), lithium from batteries is not recycled, because it is only worth 6 euro per kg (9 USD per kg). The only metals recovered from Li batteries are the ...
- 3,152
2
votes
Accepted
Will I damage batteries by charging them directly with solar outputs?
Recharging (rechargeable) lithium-ion batteries is — unfortunately — not a straight-forward process.
Unless you cap current you will damage severely-discharged batteries during the initial charging ...
- 2,734
2
votes
Is it ok to mix battery brands in a solar battery bank?
People tell me they think I should get rid of all my old vehicles. I'm not willing to do so because each of them has a fully functional, rechargeable 12 volt system with around 48 amp hours each, ...
- 402
2
votes
Is it ok to mix battery brands in a solar battery bank?
In series, yes, as long as the amp-hour capacity of the batteries is the same or you are taking some actions to ensure you won't over-discharge the weakest battery in the link.
In parallel, I'd much ...
- 2,874
2
votes
Accepted
Callibrate a battery monitor for a ~5yr old 360Ah solar panel installation
I ended up calibrating it to 310Ah, which corresponds to a 3% loss each year (360Ah * 0.97 ^ 5). I also had to tell the monitor when the batteries were at 100%, which I simply did not have a good ...
- 131
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible