Consultancy
Solar power. N/A N/A
Improvement of the electricity storage process in the PV equipment (IMPROVESTORE)
| Country : | OTHERS. . |
| Client : | Autosil / Sorapec |
| Start Date : | 1999 |
| Completion Date : | 2000 |
| Value of services : | 55 000 ECU |
| Funder : | European Union . |
| Associate/Partner : | N/A |
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| Description : |
Present environmental concerns have lead to an increased interest in renewable sources of energy. Among these, PV represents a large market in rural applications, experiencing a 20% market growth per year. Solar panels are coupled with energy storage batteries, the most widely used for photovoltaic applications are the well known lead-acid batteries. In very low cost applications, lead-acid batteries that are manufactured for starting internal combustion engines are used. However, this type of battery has shown that in such PV applications its performance / lifetime is shortened due to the corrosion of the positive electrode. The best way to overcome this problem is to replace the positive electrode by another electrode which is able to work in sulphuric acid. Two solutions can be envisaged, both of which will be explored in the present project - air electrode and carbon electrode. |
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| Description of the Actual Services Provided | The overall goals of the project are thus : * To develop a new type of battery characterised by a long life cost and a long lifetime, * To overcome the positive electrode corrosion problem of the classical lead acid battery either through an air electrode or through a carbon electrode, * To produce 14 prototypes by Autosil, * To test the prototypes and provide performance reports based on the set objectives of a 20 year life time in PV utilisation conditions : 2 on test benches (accelerated lifetime testing) and 12 on real in field testing, * To propose and industrialisation and exploitation plan based on the results of the research. |