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atteries are a collection of one or more cells whose chemical reaction

create a ow of electrons in a circuit. Batteries that cannot be recharged
are called primary batteries while batteries that can be recharged are
called secondary batteries. Batteries were rst made by the Italian scientist
Allesandro Volta. This battery was plagued by a number of problems and
batteries nowadays have undergone a lot of modi cations to be perfected. Up
until the late 1800s batteries were in liquid state but in 1886 Carl Gassner
gured out how to make an electrolytic paste out of ammonium chloride and
plaster of Paris. These new dry cells, commonly called zinc-carbonate batteries
were mass produced and were hugely popular till the late 1950’s. The rst
rechargeable batteries however were produced in 1859 by Gaston Plante. This
battery saw widespread use in automobiles. The lithium ion batteries we use
today were rst built by Asahi chemicals of Japan.

Batteries surely are a boon to humanity as batteries play numerous important

roles in everyday life, from providing the initial power needed to start the
engines of cars to acting as a backup source of electricity in telecommunications,
public transportation and medical procedures. It is hard to imagine life without
the use of batteries as most of the modern technological appliances use
batteries to power them. Modern technology is so dependant on the use of
batteries. They are ef cient, convenient, and reliable, need little maintenance, and
can be easily con gured to user requirements. From the cellphones and laptops
we use to the satellites we send out into space and even something as simple as
a toy all use batteries as their primary source of power.

The development of affordable energy storage is increasingly being looked at

as an indispensable component of sustainability. They have the potential to
displace our current dependance on more problematic sources of power such as
oil, natural gas and uranium. Batteries are also needed to store energy from
renewable sources of power such as solar and wind energy as they cannot
continuously produce energy to meet our high demands as they depend on the
environmental conditions. Hence, batteries enable renewable energy generation to
be stored until required.

The demand for battery is currently on the rise nowadays and production
cost is also decreasing. One of the most important reasons would be the growth
of electric vehicles. Companies like Tesla have stated its mission as accelerating
the global transition to sustainable energy through increasingly affordable
electric vehicles and energy products. Batteries also have the potential to help
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by ef ciently storing electricity generated
from both conventional and renewable energy sources.

Batteries however are not without problems as they have a limited lifespan
after which they must be disposed. After using for a certain period of time the
reactions taking place in the batteries eventually reach equilibrium and they
cannot be used any further. While disposing off a battery seem harmless it can
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have dire consequences in the long run. When depleted batteries are thrown into
the trash, they end up in land lls where they decay and leak. This causes toxic
metals like lead, cadmium and nickel to enter into the soil and water thus
polluting them. When living organism use this water the toxic chemicals enter
into the food chain causing various health problems.

Inspite of such concerns, the combination of renewable energy sources and

battery storage seems like the best option going forward for eliminating dirty
energy production. Renewables like wind and solar are providing more and more
power for the grid. But until effective energy storage is developed these
intermittent sources will continue to rely on fossil fuels. Hence despite its various
downsides batteries surely are a boon to humanity and will take us to a whole
new level once we learn to eliminate the problems associated with modern day
batteries.

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