Are lead-acid batteries a good choice for energy storage?

Operational experience Lead–acid batteries have been used for energy storage in utility applications for many years but it hasonlybeen in recentyears that the demand for battery energy storage has increased.

Do lithium-ion batteries have fewer environmental impacts than lead-acid batteries?

The lithium-ion batteries have fewer environmental impacts than lead-acid batteries for the observed environmental impact categories. The study can be used as a reference to decide how to substitute lead-acid batteries with lithium-ion batteries for grid energy storage applications.

Why do lithium ion batteries outperform lead-acid batteries?

The LIB outperform the lead-acid batteries. Specifically, the NCA battery chemistry has the lowest climate change potential. The main reasons for this are that the LIB has a higher energy density and a longer lifetime, which means that fewer battery cells are required for the same energy demand as lead-acid batteries. Fig. 4.

Do lead-acid batteries affect the environment?

Received 3rd March 2025 , Accepted 15th May 2025 Although lead–acid batteries (LABs) often act as a reference system to environmentally assess existing and emerging storage technologies, no study on the environmental impact of LABs based on primary data from Europe or North America since 2010 could be found.

Why do lead-acid batteries produce more impact than Lib batteries?

In general, lead-acid batteries generate more impact due to their lower energy density, which means a higher number of lead-acid batteries are required than LIB when they supply the same demand. Among the LIB, the LFP chemistry performs worse in all impact categories except minerals and metals resource use.

Which battery chemistries are best for lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries?

Life cycle assessment of lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries is performed. Three lithium-ion battery chemistries (NCA, NMC, and LFP) are analysed. NCA battery performs better for climate change and resource utilisation. NMC battery is good in terms of acidification potential and particular matter.