Posted on 02/24/2022 11:05:35 AM PST by george76
Soaring battery metal costs are leading to a renewed interest in ithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
Manufacturers are looking to cut cobalt use as they are looking to cut costs and improve their ESG profile.
Tesla is making the switch to LFP mandatory in all its markets after a positive reception in the U.S.
In the vast majority of cases, technological innovation leads to newer, cheaper, and more efficient designs than their predecessors. But every once in a while, technological progress goes into reverse gear when progress turns out to be turbocharged regress.
...
During an investor presentation last year, Tesla revealed that it’s switching battery chemistry for all standard-range Models 3 and Y from nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) chemistry to an alternative, older technology that uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.
Cobalt-free batteries..
...
Lithium-ion batteries contain a variety of elements, including lithium, nickel, aluminum, iron, manganese and cobalt. Of these metals, cobalt is the most expensive, with the average cost of the blue metal surpassing the cost of all the other battery metals put together
...
Even more worryingly, beyond its price, is that cobalt mining comes with a huge human cost, too: about 60% comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mining has been linked to child labor and deaths.
Scarcity, price, and human rights concerns have made the elimination of cobalt from EV batteries
...
LFP Batteries..
LFP technology is commonly used in simple, less demanding devices such as golf carts and home backup power systems..
...
LFP batteries have a key attraction that is proving too powerful to ignore: price.
LFP cells not only have much longer useful lifetimes but are also cheaper than NCA or nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells.
(Excerpt) Read more at oilprice.com ...
Looking at some units on Amazon, it appears the LiFePO4 batteries still run about 3.5X the cost of SLA (in small quantities). Is that consistent with what you’ve found? My SLAs (Walmart!) do sometimes last ten years. A royal hassle to keep filled, tho.
Thank you
Actually mine aren’t sealed, obviously.
Edison advised Henry Ford to develop the ICE.
I paid almost $1800 for 16 280AH LIFEPOs a few months ago. I would have to buy 2 more sets to match the L16 840AH flooded batteries I had. So about $5500 total compared to $5000 (2022 price)for my original ones. Then factor in longevity and cycling properties. And no watering. Also no outgassing.
Yes, that's why they are only good for local delivery and service trucks, submarines and stationary use.
“Yes, that’s why they are only good for local delivery and service trucks, submarines and stationary use.”
Job security for dudes refilling with distilled water.
The disadvantages however outweigh the advantages.
Cost:
The initial cost is at least 30% over a high-end Lead Acid battery of comparable size (considering usable energy) and also still a lot dearer than Lithium-ion batteries.
Efficiency:
Nickel-Iron batteries have lower energy density and lower specific power compared to lead-acid batteries (or in layman’s terms are less efficient). The cells take a charge slowly, and give it up slowly (cannot supply sudden large power spikes). This means one would need more batteries and more solar panels to achieve the output of a ‘standard’ lead-acid based power system. In addition, Ni-Fe batteries have a significant self-discharge rate of 1% per day.
Ventilation:
They produce a lot of hydrogen, daily gassing is required to get the expected performance. Hydrogen gas is explosive, therefore good ventilation is imperative.
Compatibility:
The characteristics of Ni-Fe batteries are not supported by most solar equipment. The voltage window is so wide that standard inverters are likely to shut themselves down well before the battery is fully discharged. Hence claims like ‘100% usable capacity’ are exaggerated which will further add to cost, size and maintenance.
Size and weight:
The cell voltage is 1.2V, so you need 40 cells to form a 48V battery bank. Even smaller battery banks easily weigh a ton. This further adds to the cost for shipping, storage (battery box/room dimensions), installation and maintenance.
Maintenance:
Most batteries sold these days are classified ‘maintenance-free’. Wet cell Lead Acid batteries are still available and possibly even better than dry cell technology but RPC does not recommend them as time has shown that at some point maintenance will be neglected. While Ni-Fe batteries may withstand such treatments without damage, their performance will most certainly drop. Ni-Fe batteries should be checked and topped up weekly. Inspecting and filling 40 cells is time consuming and tedious. Furthermore, every so often the electrolyte solution has to be completely replaced - a messy and labour intensive exercise.
Conclusion
BYD 10kWh Battery bank
Buy Batteries
While not as bad as Ni-Cd batteries, RPC strongly advises against Nickel Iron batteries for home solar systems. The initial cost is unlikely to pay off unless maintenance is conducted meticulously - for decades. If you need high quality deep cycle batteries, take a look at these Lead Acid or Lithium-ion batteries.
https://www.rpc.com.au/solar-news/disadvantages-of-nickel-iron-batteries.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.