RoHS stands for Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances. In February 2003, the European RoHS directive came into existence. It concerns the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB and PBDE. Lead-free soldering is an important part of this guideline. For the complete EU guideline, please click here.

Formats are given a name and can also have a code. The names are more or less the same in all countries, although other terms are often used in common parlance. The codes are different everywhere, e.g. the international IEC code and the American code. Also each brand often uses its own codes. It is therefore often difficult to recognize the codes on packaging. The IEC code is the most common. The battery types are identified by the letters in the IEC code. Alkaline, for example, is called LR.

* there can sometimes be some tolerance differences in this.

Yes. The higher the capacity, the longer the battery life. The capacity is expressed in Ampere hours (Ah) or milli-Ampere hours. (mAh). You can usually read how high the capacity of the battery is on the battery itself and on the packaging. For the application equipment, more capacity means more operating time. It is therefore not harmful to use stronger batteries, but it is harmful to use voltages other than those indicated.

The chemistry of the battery

The first factor influencing battery life is the type of battery chosen, i.e. the electrochemistry. For example, lithium batteries last about seven times longer than alkaline, depending on which type of lithium and the brand of battery. More information on different types of primary batteries can be found here.

The ambient temperature

The ambient temperature in which the battery is stored and used has a great influence on the battery life. For example, primary batteries are generally best kept cool and dry. Furthermore, primary batteries have an ideal operating temperature at which they can provide the most energy. For alkaline batteries l gt is around 20 °C. When the ambient temperature is significantly higher or lower the performance of the battery will be less. Lithium batteries, on the other hand, can better withstand different temperatures.

The energy consumption of the application

Alkaline batteries are ideal when the power used is usually low, such as devices that do not use much power during operation or are used periodically, such as remote controls or radios. Lithium batteries are generally better at handling peak current and can have a higher energy density. Therefore, these batteries are widely used among others in medical devices, IoT applications and smart meters.

More info on primary batteries

Want more information about primary battery life, or help choosing the right battery for your application? Our experts are ready and eager to help you. Please fill in your details in the contact form below and we will get back to you quickly.

The disadvantage of this type of energy is that it is only available when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. So that requires a different approach. The world will start using “smart devices”; that are devices that turn on when a lot of power is available. In a similar way we will be charging the electric car and the industry will also have to deal with power. The chemical factory will soon be running at peak production on a windy day.

But in addition, it will continue to be necessary to store electricity. Eneco recently built the largest battery in Europe in northern Germany. The thing is seventy meters long and reportedly cost 30 million euros. The wind energy that can be stored in it is just enough to provide electricity to 5,300 households for one 24-hour period. This mainly proved that this solution is too expensive and extensive for the power supply.

However, Elfa expects that large batteries will soon be a part of the electricity grid. After all, these mega batteries are useful for keeping the electricity grid in balance. The frequency of the power grid must remain constantly exact at fifty hertz. Nowadays, gas power plants can still be shut down when the wind is strong, or fired up on cloudy days. But in the near future, those power plants will not be there. Batteries can then provide a buffer that provides stability. Also the batteries from cars for that matter. Soon we will have millions of electric cars in the Netherlands. These cars are stationary more than 90% of the time. At peak times, owners can choose to, power from the car battery back into the grid.

If we want to store wind – and solar power for a long time, converting it to hydrogen seems to be the best option now. The green power splits water into oxygen and hydrogen through a process of electrolysis. Some energy is lost in the process, but the obvious advantage is that hydrogen gas can then be stored in tanks indefinitely. When burned, the energy is released again, but without CO2. Natural gas combustion does. The rest product is pure water.

Plans are currently being developed for an energy island in the North Sea with a hydrogen factory that will convert power from offshore wind farms into the clean gas. Factories can use hydrogen as an energy source or feedstock. And through the existing natural gas grid, it can even be brought to our homes. Cars can drive on it. And those hydrogen cars can act as power factories that supply electricity back into the grid at peak times. We believe in it and in the meantime we still see numerous applications for the battery.