THE EDGE its recycling processes continue to be established and mature . There is , for example , already an industry advancing to provide these services .
At the same time , we ’ re seeing the electric vehicle market paving the way for second use applications and a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory identified that when EV batteries reach the end of life , a promising second use is to ‘ replace grid-connected combustion turbine peaker plants and provide peakshaving services ’. than lead-acid systems . In fact , over a typical UPS life cycle , VRLA cells require frequent replacement with the system replaced at least twice in 10 years .
For the data centre operator , a battery which does not meet the design requirement of the load presents a major risk to service continuity . The alternative is that operators will sometimes oversize the system , with all the environmental impacts present in manufacture , installation and operations .
By contrast , the characteristics of Li-ion cells means that none of this will apply to it over the same 10-year period – and the longer lifespan of a Li-ion battery is perhaps its major advantage in terms of sustainability and TCO .
Typically , lead-acid batteries are specified for service lives between three and five years , whereas Li-ion models are specified for more than 10 . This inherent improvement in sustainable performance is obvious given the associated drop in costs from manufacturing to transportation and installation , as well as in operational expenses .
Installation and power consumption
While in use , the environmental impact of a battery can be attributed to the processes of installation and handling , energy consumption and length of service . The lighter weight of Li-ion means that individual batteries can be
Marc Garner , VP , Secure Power Division , Schneider Electric UK & Ireland
carried by hand rather than by a forklift , which also reduces the carbon footprint .
During its operational life , a Li-ion battery typically consumes less energy than a VRLA alternative because its internal chemistry makes for a slower selfdischarge rate . As such , they do not need the same amount of recharging , and over its lifetime , a lead-acid battery will typically lose 0.2 % of its rated capacity , roughly double that of a Li-ion battery which typically loses only 0.1 %.
End of life and recycling processes
Despite its relative newness , a commitment to best practices with regards to taking back defective and end of life batteries is helping reduce the environmental impact of Li-ion , while
In addition , examples of niche markets utilising Li-ion cells for second use include microgrid applications and hospitals to support emergency lighting . Established pyrometallurgical techniques are also being applied to Li-ion batteries at end of life and provide a simple and efficient means of recovering valuable cobalt and nickel elements . Newer Hydrometallurgical techniques that use water as a solvent to extract and recover valuable elements also promise to recover more than 95 % of all constituent materials .
Looking forward
Although there are inevitable environmental impacts emerging with the growth of this resilient and energy efficient technology , when evaluated holistically , it ’ s clear that Li-ion batteries offer a more sustainable solution for UPS systems .
When combined with the characteristics of more compact design , lighter weight , longer life cycle and more reliable performance , they make a compelling case for use in an industry where both space and uptime are at a premium .
Given the innovation in battery manufacturing and recycling , and with many techniques already advancing , we believe Li-ion batteries will continue to provide a safe , cost-effective and resilient power solution for the sustainable data centres of the future . �
You can learn more about the sustainability impact of Lithium-ion batteries in Schneider Electric white paper # 71 .
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