Development of a Totally Maintenance-Free Lead-Acid Battery for Telecommunications Standby Power

Batteries are used extensively in the telecommunications field to provide standby electrical power to the system in the event of failure of the grid-connected electrical supply. Batteries, however, may also be used in conjunction with renewable energy sources, such as the sun and the wind, as the main electrical supply in remote installations where grid-connected power is unavailable. The battery in these types of installations can store energy for use during periods when either the wind is calm, or during the night and on cloudy days when photovoltaic arrays are inoperative. The duty cycle under these conditions requires that the battery be capable of both frequent deep-discharge cycling as well as float charge operation. GNB Batteries Inc., has developed a maintenance-free sealed lead-acid battery suited for the demands of telecommunications standby power and photovoltaic, windpower and other renewable energy source systems. The battery has good self-discharge and float charge characteristics which allow it to be used for standby energy storage applications and is capable of repetitive deep-discharge cycling service. And since the battery is sealed, no electrolyte maintenance is required over its lifetime.