Lithium batteries are rechargeable and quite useful. Although their use isn’t that widespread when it comes to large-scale solar power plants. They’re the more preferable option when it comes to charging smaller electronic devices.
Because their benefits are a lot more advanced than tall-tubular (lead-acid) batteries, they have been able to replace lead-acid batteries for smaller purposes. But they’re not scalable for solar plants because the lithium battery price increases considerably as the capacity of the battery increases.
We will walk you through the working and limitations as well as the lithium battery price in this guide. Dive in and decode the mysteries around lithium batteries like never before. You can also read the price of lithium battery and make the right decision.
How does a lithium battery work?
The human mind works in funny ways. Without starting from zero, the math that follows doesn’t add up.
Instead of directly explaining how they work or what the lithium battery price is. We’d like to mention what these batteries are made up of.
Here’s a flowchart that’ll put things into perspective.
- Lithium cells are the building blocks of a lithium battery.
- A lithium cell is made up of two electrodes (anode and cathode), a separator, and an electrolyte.
- Many lithium cells are stacked together in parallel to make a lithium battery.
Here’s the stacking method: the anode of one cell is connected to the cathode of the next cell
Now that you know what they are made up of and the sequence. It should be easy to understand how they work.
Here’s the working of a lithium battery:
- Lithium serves the role of the anode
- While the battery is providing current to the gadget (charging the gadget, basically), the lithium-ion moves from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte. This movement is the flow of electric charge.
- When it’s the battery that has to be charged, the flow reverses. The lithium-ion moves from cathode to anode.
What is the Lithium Battery Price?
We already discussed towards the beginning of the article that for smaller devices, lithium-ion batteries have already replaced nickel-cadmium and even lead-acid batteries. Devices such as mobile phones, calculators, watches, remote control, etc use lithium batteries only.
But, when it comes to a higher capacity solar battery, lithium battery price becomes a blocker. Despite its many benefits, it’s expensive.
Although technology gurus have managed to plummet the lithium battery price by 97% within a decade, these batteries can still cost lakhs.
The price ranges between ₹2,250 to ₹1,50,000. Relentless efforts are being made to bring down these prices.
Why is lithium battery price the hot topic even though lead-acid batteries exist?
Who doesn’t want something a lot more advanced? That’s the reason that despite tall-tubular batteries existing and being used in solar plants, there’s a certain inclination towards the use of lithium batteries despite the higher lithium battery price.
Let’s walk you through a short comparison between the two for a clearer picture.
| Lead-acid batteries | Lithium batteries |
| They’re not environmentally friendly because they release hydrogen gas | They’re environmentally friendly because they do not release hydrogen gas |
| They require higher maintenance | The higher-capacity lithium batteries require no maintenance. They have a long life of about 1500 deep discharge cycles @ 95 amps. |
| They have safety gaps i.e. they do not have overcharging protection | They do have overcharging protection feature in place |
| They take a longer time to charge | The charging time is less |
Despite the lithium battery price is about 2.5 times the price of lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries are favorites; especially for smaller gadgets. And with the speed with which researchers are trying to bring down the cost of lithium batteries, it’s expected that lithium-ion batteries will most definitely overtake lead-acid batteries within 5 years or sooner.
Top manufacturers of lithium batteries
Now you know a lot about the lithium battery price and the benefits of these batteries too. It’s natural if you also want to know which are the most trusted brands that you can count on.
If that’s something that interests you, here’s the list of manufacturers you can most definitely count on and keep high up on your priority list.
- Luminous Power Technologies Pvt. Ltd
- OKAYA-battery manufacturer Company
- Amara Raja Batteries Ltd.
- Future Hi-Tech Lithium Ion Battery Manufacturers
- Southern Batteries Pvt. Ltd.
- EON electrical Pvt. Ltd.
- Evolute Solutions Private Limited
- Su-Kam Power Systems
- HBL Power Systems Limited
Pros and cons of lithium batteries
Here’s a bonus section that’ll help you understand things a lot better.
Pros:
- They last longer
- These do not degrade the environment
- Do not emit hydrogen gas
- Batteries do not require maintenance
- Also, have an overcharging protection feature
Cons:
- They’re expensive; hence, not scalable for solar plants yet
Conclusion:
We hope you now know what are the kinds of benefits that lithium batteries offer. Without a doubt, they’re the future of solar and lead-acid batteries will soon be replaced by lithium batteries. Constant efforts are being made to make lithium batteries affordable.
