Lead–acid battery Nickel–metal hydride battery Lithium–iodide battery Top Trumps – “Energy” Edition intern challenges its readers to a game of cards. Do you know the differences be tween today’s energy storage devices and those currently being explored? Which will come Energy density: 25-50 Wh/kg Common Energy density: 40-80 Wh/kg Conventional Energy density: 240-560 Wh/kg Developed battery, battery for for medical up trumps, and why? Simply cut out the ten cards, start playing, and find out! Power density: 75-300 W/kg well-known as Power density: 100-200 W/kg small electronic Power density: 245 W/kg devices such Cost: € 50-300/kWh a conventional Cost: € 2,000/kWh devices from Cost: € 2,000/kWh as pacemakers. car battery. the pocket torch To date, only Safety: + Safety: ++ to the wireless Safety: ++ rechargeable to To transform the energy sector, Ger- simply cut out the ten cards and play a Lifetime: 200-1,500 cycles Lifetime: 500-2,000 cycles mouse. Lifetime: Not known a limited extent. many needs better media for storing game of Top Trumps. The aim of the game Selected battery attributes Efficiency: 70-85 % Efficiency: 70-80 % Efficiency: Not known energy. However, the current market can is to spot the best attribute of the battery be confusing, and this makes it difficult on top of your pile and play it to win the Energy density in watt hours per kilo- Subject of research at IEK-3 Subject of research at IEK-3 to assess the advantages and disadvan- other players’ cards (if you’re not familiar gram (Wh/kg): Energy contained in a tages of the different systems. with the rules, click here). You’ll also cell. The higher the energy density, If you would like to learn about some learn which storage media are the focus the more electricity can be obtained Lithium-ion battery Redox flow battery (V*) Lithium–sulfur battery current and future energy storage devices of research at Jülich’s institutes in the at the same voltage. – i.e. batteries – to get a better overview, field of energy and climate research. Power density in watts per kilogram (W/kg): Measure of the weight of a cell. The higher the power density, the more energy can be stored per kilogram. Current technology is designed to have a low power densi- “Supercap” battery ty – normal batteries only store about one watt. “Supercap” battery Cost in euros per kilowatt hour (€/ Common battery Potential Energy density: 70 -410 Wh/kg Energy density: 60-80 Wh/kg Stationary Energy density: 1,000-2,500 Wh/kg Metal–air battery* kWh): Material and production costs in appliances energy storage future battery for the storage of one kilowatt hour Power density: 150-315 W/kg such as mobile Power density: Variable device in the Power density: 2,000-4,000 W/kg for electric cars. Cost: € 200-1,800/kWh phones or lap- Cost: € 100-1,000/kWh test phase. Cost: € 100 /kWh Safety risks stem with the respective system. tops. A flammable Tank size and from the short Safety: o Safety: -- electrolyte and Safety: o membrane area lifetime, toxic Lifetime: 300-3,000 cycles the comparatively Lifetime: 10,000 cycles determine the Lifetime: 50-200 cycles gases in case of high reactivity of power density. fire, and a toxic Safety: Estimation of the risks for Efficiency: 90-95 % Efficiency: 70-85 % Efficiency: 85 % the electrodes electrolyte. humans and the environment. High reduce its safety. operating temperatures or the use of toxic substances reduce safety. Subject of research at IEK-1, IEK-2, IEK-3, IEK-9 *Data from vanadium-based cells Assessment scale from “--” to “o” to Energy density: 3-20 Wh/kg Tested in buses that were Power density: 2,000-10,000 W/kg “++”. recharged Metal–air battery* Sodium–sulfur battery* Metal–metal oxide battery Cost: € 300-4,000/kWh through induc- Energy density: Safety: 3-20 Wh/kg Testedtion at in every buses ++ that were Lifetime: Number of charge and Power density: 2,000-10,000 W/kg bus stop. Lifetime: 500,000-1,000,000 cycles recharged discharge cycles of a cell, until it can Cost: € 300-4,000/kWh through induc- EnergyEfficiency: density: 1,600-8,60095-100 % Wh/kg Potential Safety: ++ tiontechnology at every be recharged to less than 60 % of its Power density: 333-2,000 W/kg busbeing stop. explored Lifetime: 500,000-1,000,000 cycles original capacity. A cycle corres- Cost: Not yet foreseeable for batteries in Efficiency: 95-100 % Safety: + laptops etc. ponds to a discharge of 80 %. Lifetime: 200-1,000 cycles Efficiency: 80 % Efficiency:Relationship between the amount of electricity required to ful- Subject of research at IEK-1, IEK-9 ly charge the cell and the amount of * Data from iron–zinc–air cells electricity released when dischar- ging. Energy density: 1,600-8,600 Wh/kg Potential Energy density: 103 Wh/kg Stationary Energy density: 1,000 Wh/kg Vision for a technology storage device stationary All data sources on IEK-9’s website: Power density: 333-2,000 W/kg being explored Power density: 100 W/kg based on melted Power density: 1,000 W/kg storage device: http://www.fz-juelich.de/iek/iek-9 Cost: Not yet foreseeable for batteries in Cost: € 200-900/kWh electrodes. First Cost: > € 150/kWh combination of laptops etc. commercial fuel cells with Safety: + Safety: - batteries are Safety: - metal (oxide) Lifetime: 200-1,000 cycles Lifetime: 4,500 cycles being tested. Lifetime: > 200 cycles as the storage medium. Efficiency: 80 % Efficiency: 89 % Efficiency: 70-80 % Thermal risk. Images: tournee (p. 8, hand), Petair (p. 8, bus stop), zest_marina (p. 9, lead–acid battery), djama (p. 9, nickel–metal hydride battery), AK-DigiArt (p. 9, lithium–iodide battery), ekipaj (p. 9, lithium-ion battery), ilynx_v (p. 9, lithium–sulfur battery), WoGi (p. 9, metal–air battery/accumulator), mhristov (p. 9, metal–air battery/laptop, mobile phone, tablet) intern 2 | 2014 Subject of research at IEK-1, IEK-9 Subject of research at IEK-1, IEK-2, IEK-9 * Data from iron–zinc–air cells *High-temperature battery *High-temperature battery.