Battery Technology and Energy Storage Systems

Each application amounts for a huge number of requirements including electrical performance, safety aspects, or weight and volume. Beside a various primary batteries, which can not be recharged in normal operation, several rechargeable, secondary battery technologies are available.

A detailed knowledge of the electrochemistry and the resulting requirements for the system design are the basis for a qualified selection of the appropriate storage technology. Finally we are aiming at an optimisation of the entire system with regard maximum lifetime, lowest costs, full electrical performance and highest reliability.

We are working on lead-acid batteries of all technologies, lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries, nickel cadmium (NiCd) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and electrochemical double layer capacitors (SuperCaps). Beside these storage technologies where energy storage and energy conversion is inseparable combined in one device, we are also looking at energy storage systems with external storage. Such systems are characterised by separated components for energy storage and energy conversion such as hydrogen storage systems with electrolyser and fuel cell for charging respectively discharging and hydrogen storage for storing energy. Other representatives of this group are redox-flow batteries and zinc-bromine batteries.