Batteries recharge time

At first, a large program of research in new kinds of batteries (Chapter 13) was carried out. However, even the best ofthe new batteries (e.g., the Li-ion batteries) still involved excessive costs, unacceptable recharging times, and in particular polluting C02 injection from the new electricity-producing plants. 

Another approach to consistent power delivery from renewable sources is to consider the use of supercapacitors placed between the renewable power source and the electrolyzer. These may or may not be viable, and we have not yet researched this possibility. Supercapacitors are basically a cross between capacitor and battery technology. They use electrodes, and a liquid or organic electrolyte, but they store energy by static charge rather than by electrochemical means. They can be cycled millions of times, and have a recharge time of seconds. Supercapacitors might also be viable to enhance peak load performance on the fuel cell end. 

Clearly, Cl may not be a universal algorithm, but it would be interesting to see what cycle-lives could be achieved with this procedure on thicker-plate VRLA batteries, where the oxygen cycle is not as active as in the Optima and Genesis products. It should be noted that each product may require a unique approach, as design dictates maximum current levels and recharge times in VRLA products. This has been demonstrated in the Cominco ALABC work on fast charging of Optima (thin-plate) and Delphi (thick-plate) batteries [61]. 

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