5 Must-Have Features in a Energy Storage Lithium Battery

1. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)

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+Highest Safety Rating
+Long Lifecycle
+Strong Power Capability

-Lower Energy Density

LFP batteries are renowned for their safety and long lifecycle, making them a leading choice for battery energy storage systems, electric vehicles, and more. They offer a robust power density and are cost-effective, despite having a lower energy density. This balance of features makes LFP an excellent replacement for lead acid batteries, especially in applications requiring high safety and long-term reliability, like backup power and frequency regulation.

Out of all lithium batteries, LFP is arguably the number one choice for commercial energy storage systems, electric vehicles, and other applications thanks to the advantage of having a long lifespan and one of the highest safety records of all lithium batteries. 

Lithium iron phosphate technology has been around for decades but still continues to grow in the battery market, proving LFP chemistry is as reliable as it is mature. Due to its remarkable achievement in safety and lifespan, LFP is recommended for projects replacing old Lead Acid batteries, diesel optimization/augmentation, backup power, and frequency regulation.

2. Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2)

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+Highest Safety Rating
+Low Cost

-Lower Energy Density
-Lower Performance

Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) stands out for its high energy density and affordability. These characteristics make them desirable for electric powertrains and vehicles, though safety concerns have prompted some battery companies to explore alternatives. The flexibility in tuning the nickel and manganese content allows for optimization towards specific energy or power needs, highlighting the adaptability of NMC in various battery storage and electric mobility applications.

NMC has a high energy density allowing it to store more energy compared to a similar sized battery. While this benefit makes NMC desirable for electric powertrains, electric vehicles, and electric bikes, it has caused concerns for car owners who might worry about their vehicles catching on fire after a collision.

NMC has low to moderate characteristics in terms of power, safety, life span, and performance compared to other lithium batteries. It can be optimized to either have a high specific power or high specific energy by changing the NI & Mn percentage in the chemical component. Nickel and Cobalt are finite resources that require lots of mining and produce emissions in the process. Companies like Tesla are shifting to LFP from NMC in their EVs due to supply concerns as well as how superior the chemistry is.

3. Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiNm2O4)

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+Enhanced Safety
+Low Cost

-Limited Performance
-Lower Life Span

Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO) is a well-balanced battery that follows the tagline “Jack of all trades, master of none.” LMO features moderate power density and energy density compared to the other types of lithium batteries. Its two main advantages are the low cost to produce the batteries as well as its high thermal stability and enhanced safety.

The drawbacks of LMO include a below-average battery performance and life span requiring the battery to be augmented or replaced more often than other battery types. LMO batteries were first published and used in proving the technology is mature and advancing. LMO is used in medical devices and power tools primarily due to its safety and affordability.

4. Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium (LiNiCoAIO2)

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+High Power
+High Energy Density
+Long Lifecycle

-Expensive
-Weak Performance
-Low Safety Rating

Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum (NCA) is composed of equal parts of nickel, cobalt, and manganese. NCA cells have one of the highest power and energy capabilities as well as an incredibly long life cycle making them a common choice for stationary applications and the electromobility sector. NCA is incredibly powerful, the biggest advantage and its biggest downfall.

The high percentage of cobalt in its chemistry makes it one of the more expensive lithium-ion battery types. Cobalt is a difficult resource to supply and has negative effects on the environment. Due to unpredictable safety and performance, consumers find it difficult to incorporate it as the battery of choice for energy storage systems.

5. Lithium Titanate (Li2TiO3)

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The company is the world’s best Energy Storage Lithium Battery(fr,tl,nl) supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

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+High Power Density
+Good Thermal Stability
+Long Lifecycle

-Expensive
-Low Energy Density

Lithium Titanate (LTO) exhibits strong benefits in terms of performance, power, and chemical stability, which are all important features every battery should have. The combination of characteristics paired with LTO’s fast recharge time makes it a reliable option for stationary applications like energy storage.

LTO has two disadvantages. The major disadvantagege of lithium titanate compared to other batteries is its extremely high cost due to its low worldwide production volume. The other disadvantage is its lower energy density due to the cell voltage potential of titanate.

Lithium titanate anode batteries have been known since the s. Due to limited production, it cannot easily scale to commercial and industrial applications; however, it has huge potential for future space exploration

Which Lithium Battery is The Best?

With the advancement of battery charging and management systems, alongside power conversion systems, the future of energy storage is bright, offering sustainable, efficient solutions. Energy Storage systems provide a wide support of use cases such as frequency regulation, back-up power, peak shaving, and other grid services. Battery energy storage is crucial for a sustainable future, supporting a wide range of applications like solar energy, frequency regulation, and peak shaving.

Lithium iron phosphate is the most versatile and reliable option for commercial and industrial energy storage systems thanks to its battery system including high power density, high performance, inherently safe and non-toxic materials, and long life cycle. These characteristics make LFP a very attractive battery technology for battery energy storage systems.

Long used in personal electronics, lithium-ion batteries are now revolutionizing the industrial and material handling equipment industries. 

Their fast-charging capabilities, long lifespan and ease of maintenance make them an attractive choice for companies that use forklifts, pallet jacks and other equipment in their operations. 

Lithium-ion battery packs require more investment up front than other rechargeable options, such as lead-acid batteries. However, used correctly, lithium-ion batteries offer many long-term benefits that make them less expensive over time. 

That’s why getting the most out of lithium-ion battery life is so important. 

Here are five steps you can take to maximize your lithium-ion battery life.

 1. Use Smart Battery Management

 Using a lithium-ion battery with a smart battery management system provides many benefits to the fleet. Tracked through onboard computers, fleet managers can connect to the cloud and send integral data to fleet personnel. This data includes health and usage of the battery. 

Lithium-ion batteries that feature resourceful battery system management tools also ensure lithium battery life lasts longer by: 

• Alerting employees when a lithium-ion battery is running low. This lets staff know a battery must be recharged to avoid damage to the battery and the warranty.
• Keeping track of all battery metrics. The battery system reports metrics wirelessly through local networks or through cellular to the cloud. This catches any potential problems before equipment downtime occurs.
• Tracking temperatures on the cells. This ensures they remain in safe charging and operating ranges.

2. Don’t Overcharge 

Overcharging a battery can instigate formation of dendrites which can hinder battery longevity. When it comes to charging lithium-ion batteries, more is not always better. 

To avoid overcharging and maximize life, ensure a lithium battery pack includes a battery regulator. This regulator, or balancer, ensures: 

• The individual cells remain balanced, since they may have different capacities or state of charge levels.
• Discharging stops when the cell that is experiencing the lowest capacity empties.
• The weakest or smallest cell will not be overcharged. If a battery does not have a battery regulator, a smaller cell can suffer damage when filling a high-capacity cell. 

Lithium-ion batteries that feature smart battery management systems should include active balancing features through a battery regulator.

3. Avoid Deep Cycling

 Deep discharges stress lithium-ion batteries. Partial charges, on the other hand, are safer and can prolong the life of a lithium battery. In fact, lithium battery packs have no memory effect, making partial charges possible. 

This is good news for companies that operate equipment in shifts. Crews are encouraged to charge lithium-ion batteries on an opportunity basis throughout the day. This can occur in between tasks or while on break, for example. 

It’s also important to always keep lithium-ion batteries at least partially charged. If batteries are reduced to low charges, circuits put in place for protection may turn off.

4. Avoid Extreme Temperatures

 Lithium-ion batteries are resilient and do not require as much maintenance, such as cooling-down periods. They also feature onboard heaters that control temperatures during cold weather applications. 

Nonetheless, lithium-ion batteries are still vulnerable to damage if stored or charged in improper temperatures. 

To extend the life of lithium-ion batteries: 

• Avoid extreme temperatures. State of health for lithium-ion batteries can decrease when exposed to extreme temperatures for extended periods of time. If a battery is intended to be used in cold weather applications, it is important that the battery has a heater that is controlled by the battery management system to prevent below-freezing charging.
• Follow manufacturer specifications. These will provide more exact parameters. Generally, it is safe to charge between 32° and 113° F and discharge between -40° and 131° F.
• Store at partial charge in a cool place. Batteries should have around a 40% to 50% state of charge when being stored. Batteries will slowly discharge even when turned off, check every few months and ensure the state of charge does not drop below 20%.

5. Ensure UL Listing

 Underwriter Laboratories (UL) products go through rigorous testing to ensure companies establish trustworthy products in the marketplace. Products that have been designated with a UL Listing must meet nationally-recognized safety standards. 

This gives the material handling industry confidence in the safety of the product. A UL-certification also ensures protective features are in place that enhance the quality and long-term use. These include: 

• A main power fuse
• Protective breaker
• Over-voltage protection
• Temperature protection
• Stable chemistry 

Bottom Line

Are lithium-ion batteries better? Lithium-ion batteries are transforming the material handling industry. They are an attractive choice for companies that want to increase efficiency and reduce costs in the long term. This is especially true when lithium-ion battery life is maximized. 

It is critical to ensure your fleet’s supply of lithium-ion packs have management tools that track metrics and are UL-Listed. Also important are the steps taken to properly charge and store these batteries. 

With these steps, lithium-ion batteries can experience a longer life and increase productivity in industrial and material handling equipment industries. That makes the switch to this technology an easy decision. 

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