Conventional battery technologies-present and future

The viability of battery energy storage has already been demonstrated on various scales in this emerging market. The results have not always been up to expectations, but the systems have demonstrated overall cost savings in most cases. None of the currently available technologies meets all of the needs for these applications, but improvements in existing systems and the introduction of new technologies-particularly lithium ion-are likely to keep conventional battery types as the energy storage medium of choice for the foreseeable future in many applications.