Energy conversion power refers to the total amount of electricity output from the battery during discharge divided by the total amount of electricity input into the battery during charging. The conversion of energy into power is crucial for energy revenue, peak shaving, and the integration of renewable energy into the grid. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, batteries face the same challenge in terms of cooling. They can use more powerful batteries to increase energy conversion power. In typical APC UPS applications with stable power grids, energy conversion power is not very important because power outages rarely occur. However, power can affect the cooling requirements and lifespan of the battery system. Lower power generally means a higher demand for refrigeration capacity.
For example, a power battery used for APCUPS may discharge for 10 minutes at full load, but the load rate of APC UPS may only be 50%, resulting in the battery running for more than 20 minutes when required to run for 10 minutes. Running for too long can raise doubts about the rationality of the battery system configuration. UPS products are required to support various types of loads, and the power consumption of these loads is generally dynamic, so the battery discharge time varies at different load rates.
C “is the overall battery charge discharge rate (C-Rate), a commonly used term in the battery industry to define the charge discharge rate and application scenarios of a battery. C-Rate is defined by “C”. The standard time unit recognized by the battery industry is equivalent to 1 hour (unified). C-Rate indicates how long the battery needs to be charged or discharged, from 0 to 100% or 100 to 0%. Here are some common C-Rate batteries:· 1C=1 hour medium speed
·C/2=2 hours of energy
·2C=1/2 hour (30 minutes) power
·10C=6 minutes high power
It is generally simple to distinguish between energy batteries and power batteries, but it is more difficult to distinguish between the two when C-Rate is between 30 minutes and 1 hour. The C-Rate of power batteries generally does not exceed 30 minutes, while the C-Rate of energy batteries is generally over 1 hour. The 1-hour battery precisely defines’ C ‘, which is generally considered as the midpoint or medium speed. Lead acid batteries are generally used for power applications, but their power is very low at high charging and discharging rates, making it difficult to optimize the battery for specific applications. Lead acid batteries have higher power during longer discharge times in energy utilization. The optimized solution plan must meet the goals required for practical application. Please note that the definition used also includes C-rate. When C-rate does not match the characteristics of the battery, this solution is not the preferred optimal plan.
As APC UPS and energy storage systems gradually transition from lead-acid batteries to lithium batteries, decision-makers need to have a clear understanding of the correct battery evaluation objectives to ensure the selection of optimized battery systems for a given application. Lithium batteries are relatively messy and diverse, making the task of selecting a battery difficult. However, making wise battery decisions is extremely important and has far-reaching consequences.