batteries

Following is a summary of the characteristics of popular battery technologies. For more details, see lead acid, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, lithium polymer, liquid metal battery, zinc air, CMOS battery and memory effect.

 CHARACTERISTICS OF RECHARGEABLE BATTERIESSelf Recharge Dis- Energy Cycles Fast charge Density To 80% Charge Per Type (Wh/Kg)* Capacity (hrs) Month Nickel Cadmium 45-80 1500 1 20% Nickel Metal Hydride 60-120 300-500 2-4 30% Lithium Ion 110-160 300-500 2-4 10% Lithium Polymer 100-130 300-500 2-4 10% Lead Acid 30-50 200-300 8-16 5%  To 50% Capacity Reusable Alkaline 80 50 2-3 0.3% Data courtesy of Cadex Electronics Inc. (www.cadex.com). * Wh/Kg = watt hours per kilogram

A Lot of Batteries

This roomful of lead acid batteries stands ready to drain itself entirely in less than a minute. It serves as interim power for a large datacenter between the time a power outage has been detected and the generators can come up to full speed.