A nickel/hydrogen battery for PV systems

Author

Bush, Donald M.

Author_Institution

Sandia Nat. Lab., Albuquerque, NM, USA

Volume

5

Issue

8

fYear

1990

Firstpage

27

Lastpage

30

Abstract

The nickel-hydrogen battery, developed in the early nineteen-seventies as an energy-storage subsystem for commercial communication satellites, is discussed. The advantages offered by nickel-hydrogen batteries, including long life, low maintenance and high reliability, make it very attractive for terrestrial applications such as stand-alone photovoltaic systems. The major drawback to the wider use of the nickel-hydrogen battery is its high initial cost. A 7-kWh battery has been on test since January 1988 using a flat-plate photovoltaic array for charging. The cell, battery design and test methods are briefly described, and the results of cycling and solar tests are presented. It is concluded that the battery is well suited for remote solar applications.<>

Keywords

economics; energy storage devices; hydrogen; nickel; photovoltaic power systems; secondary cells; Ni-H/sub 2/; battery design; commercial communication satellites; cost; cycling; energy-storage subsystem; flat-plate photovoltaic array; remote solar applications; solar tests; stand-alone photovoltaic systems; terrestrial applications; Artificial satellites; Batteries; Costs; Design methodology; Hydrogen; Maintenance; Nickel; Photovoltaic systems; Solar power generation; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0885-8985

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/62.59267

Filename

59267