Electrochemical sources of electric power — I

Prompted by current interest in the possibilities of atomic energy, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING is presenting a series of articles reviewing the various known and tried methods of producing electric power in the light of present-day knowledge. Previously published articles reviewed electric power sources in general, piezoelectricity, and electrostatic power sources.^∗ The present article considers another source, the battery, or electrochemical source of power, and will appear in two parts. Part 1 presents an historical résumé of the subject, while part 2 will describe its technical aspects.