The Rise and Rise of Batteries

What is a battery?

A battery is a self-contained, chemical power pack that produces a limited amount of electrical energy wherever it is needed. Unlike normal electricity, which is usually produced in a power plant, a battery slowly converts chemicals packed inside it into electrical energy.

The ubiquitous battery has become an essential feature of everyday life, they come in all shapes and sizes, from miniature cells used to power hearing aids, wrist watches and pocket calculators to large battery banks for heavy duty use.

The History of batteries

Discovering the principle

More than 2000 years ago the “Baghdad Battery” was discovered in the remains of an Iraqi village, Khu jut Rabu on the outskirts of a Baghdad. This is considered to be the world’s oldest “ceramic pot battery”, it is assumed that it was used for metallic plating, rather than as a battery to generate electricity.

Subsequent Discoveries

Luigi Galvani

In 1780, an Italian biologist called Luigi Galvani discovered that when two different types of metal came into contact with a dead frog’s leg, an electrical current ran between them and caused the leg to twitch. This is said to mark the first discovery of the principle behind batteries.

Alessandro Volta

In 1800, the first electro chemical cell was invented by Alessandro Volta his copper-zinc "voltaic pile," for which the Emperor Napoleon made him a count. This is widely accepted to be the very the first battery. However, Volta incorrectly believed that the electromotive force originated at the contact between two metals and not through a chemical reaction.

Georges Leclanché

In 1868, a Frenchman called Georges Leclanché invented the “Leclanché cell.” This was the origin of today’s dry batteries, but it could be inconvenient to use as its ammonium chloride solution would spill over.

Carl Gassner

In 1888, a German called Carl Gassner invented a battery where there was no risk of the solution spilling. Because the battery would not spill even though it contained a liquid, Gassner’s invention became known as the “dry cell” or “dry battery.”

Waldemar Jungner

In 1899, Swedish engineer Waldemar Jungner invented nickel-cadmium battery. This was a epoch-making battery and the origin of today’s storage battery.

Thomas Edison

1900, and that great serial inventor Thomas Edison invented the nickel-iron storage battery.

Subsequent research and development has seen the introduction of more sophisticated and efficient batteries needed to satisfy the growing demand for this type of energy, a demand that shows no sign of abating.

An important consideration when buying batteries is their potential life cycle, do we buy cheaply and throw away the spent battery or is it worth spending more money for a rechargeable battery, and of course and a means of recharging, i.e., a battery charger.

For the smaller domestic batteries I must admit that in the past I have disposed of possibly hundreds of batteries over the years, I am now more environmentally aware and recharge my batteries.

As for larger batteries, cars, motor homes, and camping a quality charger has always been an essential part of my kit.

Is it possible to recondition a dead battery without a charger? Well, a battery, like all other commodities, if badly neglected will probably have reached the end of its useful life but there are claims that dead batteries can be “resurrected”.

Apparently a ten-to-twenty-minute procedure using a multi-meter, (a measuring instrument that can measure multiple electrical properties) and a hydrometer (an instrument used for measuring the relative density of liquids) restores life to your dead batteries and doubles their life span instantly.

Both the multi-meter and hydrometer are available cheaply on Amazon or from your local home improvement store.

I have not tried this so cannot vouch for the procedure but there are a number of YouTube videos on this very subject.

Life without batteries

Can you imagine life without batteries think about what we use around the house and in our daily lives.

Digital cameras, video game consoles, cell phones, toys, laptops, watches, portable electronics, hearing aids, electric wheelchairs, heart pacemakers, the list seems endless

What of the future

Growth in battery demand is estimated to be around 25% per annum, probably driven by the electrification of transport and large scale deployment in electricity grids and the efforts being taken to move away from fossil fuel combusted energy sources to cleaner renewable sources.

For quite some time the issue of how to tackle the effects of global climate change has been on the agenda of governments worldwide. The car industry is playing a huge part and the trend to develop green cars is gaining momentum and following government directives car companies are now committed to replacing traditional gasoline vehicles with environmentally-friendly electric cars run on batteries that function by plugging into a charging point and taking energy from the grid.

Many countries have in fact introduced a ban on future production of diesel and petrol vehicles.

Conclusion

The battery, we couldn't live our modern lives without them, but it is estimated that 28 billion are thrown away annually, this is having a huge environmental impact.

We all have a part to play here, we must recharge all the batteries we use, most quality batteries can be recharged up to 500 times, there are recycling stations at some stores and landfill sites, use them.

We must help in reducing waste sent to landfills, and help sustain the environment for future generations. The future for our children, and grandchildren lies in our hands.