Solar and wind facilities use the energy stored in lead batteries to reduce power fluctuations and increase reliability to deliver on-demand power. They store excess energy when demand is low and release it when demand is high, to ensure a steady supply of energy to millions of homes and businesses.
Lead batteries are also deployed in remote small-scale hydro-electric systems to help provide essential, clean energy for communications, refrigeration and more to many of the 1 billion people in remote areas who lack access to a power grid.
Lead batteries are one of the most environmentally sustainable of all battery technologies, which makes them an ideal sustainability partner for solar and wind power. In 2016, more than half of electricity generation capacity added to the U.S. grid came from renewable resources, and 60 percent of all utility-scale generation capacity additions were from wind and solar resources. Lead batteries help to make this growth possible and are vital to ensure continued growth of sustainable energy sources.
Lead batteries are also critical in helping to close the gap between those who have access to electricity and those who do not, especially in remote geographic areas.
Nearly 25 percent of the populations of all developing countries have no access to electricity. Lead batteries can store and optimize energy from renewable energy sources when there is no access to a power grid.
Proof of Concept: Consortium Launches Study of Lead Battery Solar Microgrids in Homes
“Lead batteries are more affordable, safer, more environmentally friendly, and lead is domestically sourced, which really helps our country.”
— George Mues, technical transfer manager, Ameren
To study the future of renewable energy storage, the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) has joined a collaborative research alliance at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) to provide resources for the construction of advanced lead battery microgrids at the Missouri S&T EcoVillage. Two on-campus high-tech homes will serve as “living laboratories” to study renewable energy sources – and storage – for communities of the future.
The goal is to unlock the ability to supply reliable and environmentally sustainable energy to the residential market by using advanced lead battery solar microgrid systems. The solar panels, paired with the advanced lead battery microgrids, are expected to provide 50 percent of the homes’ electrical needs.
