Comparison of Pocket Plate and Sintered Plate Ni Electrodes Used in Energy Storage Technologies for PV Back Up Applications

Abstract

Utility scale electrochemical energy storage will become an important topic as countries across the globe set targets for electricity generation from renewable sources. Much current research is focused on improving energy density for portable electronic devices or electric vehicles. In distributed photovoltaic generation applications energy storage is required due to the intermittent nature of the electricity supplied. In these situations space and weight is at less of a premium so lifetime and safety should be the driving factors of development. Currently nickel based battery technologies offer long cycle lives. There are a number of cathode configurations available, from the earliest pocket plate designs to sintered plates and fiber plates. In this work these electrodes have been evaluated for use in nickel based battery chemistries with a particular emphasis on manufacturability. Sintered electrodes can be produced on a roll to roll production line which is an attractive way of cutting manufacturing costs at the scale required for large scale domestic electricity storage. Sintered plates can also improve fast rate discharge characteristics and energy density.