Lead-acid battery for energy storage, also known as ordinary battery, refers to a battery whose electrodes are mainly made of lead and its oxides, and the electrolyte is a sulfuric acid solution. In the charged state, the main component of the positive electrode is lead dioxide, and the main component of the negative electrode is lead; in the discharged state, the main component of the positive and negative electrodes is lead sulfate. It is divided into lead-acid water battery and lead-acid maintenance-free battery. The main advantages are stable voltage and low price, while the disadvantages are low specific energy (that is, the electric energy stored per kilogram of the battery), short service life and frequent daily maintenance.
The lead-acid water battery is also called lead-acid battery. Its electrodes are composed of lead and lead oxides, and the electrolyte is an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. The main advantages are stable voltage and cheap price; the disadvantages are low specific energy (that is, the electric energy stored per kilogram of the battery), short service life and frequent daily maintenance. Old-fashioned ordinary batteries generally have a lifespan of about 2 years, and it is necessary to regularly check the height of the electrolyte and add distilled water. However, with the development of technology, the life of ordinary batteries has become longer and maintenance is easier.
The most obvious feature of the lead-acid battery is that it has 6 plastic sealing caps that can be twisted off on the top, and there are ventilation holes on it. These sealing caps are used for filling, checking electrolyte and venting. In theory, lead-acid batteries need to check the height of the electrolyte at each maintenance, and add distilled water if there is a lack. However, with the upgrading of battery manufacturing technology, lead-acid batteries have developed into lead-acid maintenance-free batteries, and there is no need to add electrolyte or distilled water in the use of lead-acid batteries. It mainly uses charging and discharging to achieve the water splitting cycle. Lead-acid water batteries are mostly used in tricycles, while maintenance-free lead-acid batteries are widely used, including uninterruptible power supplies and electric vehicles.
Lead-acid batteries are divided into constant current discharge (such as uninterruptible power supply) and instantaneous discharge (such as car starter batteries) according to application needs.
