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 ...
- 11.8k
6
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 ...
- 79
6
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 ...
- 4,700
6
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 ...
- 7,197
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 ...
- 4,700
6
votes
Accepted
Can I connect ten 100W invertors (each with separate battery) parallel to power one 1kW consumer?
The main problem in inverter paralleling is that the inverters must be parallel-capable. You must set one inverter as master and the others as slaves. The master has its own clock, the slaves sync to ...
- 4,700
6
votes
Accepted
Can I recondition the batteries from a mobile phone or a bike light?
My heavy recommendation would be hub dynamo powered modern LED lights (with a supercapacitor for providing light after stopping).
However, if for some reason this is not an option for you, the second ...
- 4,700
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 ...
- 3,680
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 ...
- 14.4k
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 ...
- 3,507
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 ...
- 14.7k
4
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 ...
- 3,507
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 ...
- 328
4
votes
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Is there enough total Lithium in the Earth's crust to make sufficient grid storage to meet total global Winter energy demand?
TL/DR Yes, but it is meaningless. The meaningless is well covered by juhist's answer.
Lithium in the earths crust:
Estimates for the Earth's crustal content range from 20 to 70 ppm by weight. Middle =...
- 356
4
votes
Can I recondition the batteries from a mobile phone or a bike light?
Frame challenge rather than an answer.
You're asking about bike lights with different types of batteries from a sustainability perspective.
The most sustainable type of bike light is powered by a ...
- 2,535
3
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, ...
- 412
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 ( (...
- 2,804
3
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....
- 191
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 ...
- 3,680
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 ...
- 1,604
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 (...
- 11.8k
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 ...
- 7,197
3
votes
Accepted
Why is the usage factor for utility-scale storage declining in the U.S.?
Usage factor is declining because the average duration of batteries on the grid is increasing
Inspired by the report that M Juckes shared, I dug into the data source for utility-scale batteries: Table ...
- 11.8k
3
votes
Renewable energy gravity storage
Let's look at the specifications of EnergyVault.
Firstly, the tower height is claimed to be "nearly 500 feet" or nearly 150 meters. However, since the tower consists of bricks, an average ...
- 4,700
3
votes
Accepted
What will happen if person accidentally touches the + and - terminal simultaneously of a few parallel connnected 30A 18650 batteries?
Parallel connection is a way of connecting batteries that maintains voltage but increases capacity and current providing capability.
18650 is a lithium ion cell that's usually around 3.7 volts ...
- 4,700
3
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to make 12V to 48V boost dc-dc converter of 6kW power?
Not at all entirely impossible, just very hard and ridiculous, but what on Earth are you planning to do with 6 kW?
Generally single phase 230V is limited to 3.6 kW, since most electrical cords are ...
- 4,700
3
votes
Why are EV batteries so much cheaper than household batteries from a per kWh basis?
I think the simplest explanation is volume.
EV's contain large batteries, typically 60 kWh and upwards.
Domestic batteries are more typically in the 5~10 kWH range.
So EV manufacturers (who plan on ...
- 166
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 ...
- 14.4k
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 ...
- 14.4k
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