A Proven Green Battery Technology

A Proven Green Battery Technology

By Steve Spaar, Director of Marketing for the Americas, EnerSys

When you think of “green” energy technologies, things like wind, solar, and fuel cells may come to mind.  Rarely mentioned is a proven green energy technology that has been in use for over 100 years, is in use in nearly every warehouse operation today, and is available at a relatively low cost per energy unit.  Lead acid batteries, like those used in forklift trucks, are the most recycled product today at over 97% recycling rates, with aluminum cans running a distant second at about 55%. The lead acid battery gains this environmental edge from its closed-loop life cycle. A typical new lead acid battery contains 60-80% recycled lead and plastic.  The recycling cycle goes on indefinitely; meaning the lead and plastic in the lead acid battery have been recycled many times.  This makes the lead acid battery disposal extremely successful from both environmental and cost perspectives. 

EnerSys has saved companies millions of dollars by offering other green solutions that help reduce costs, manage expenses, and enhance environmental bottom lines.  Some examples of the tools made available by EnerSys to help with cost reduction, carbon sequestration and emissions elimination efforts include:

Lift truck fossil fuel conversion to electric drive

Free analytical tools that will help analyze the cost and emission savings available to operations considering switching combustion engine lift trucks to electric drive can be found at www.enersysmp.com/ice/ICECC.asp. The tools found on this site have been used to justify millions of dollars in savings by using electric drive forklifts rather than fossil fuels.

Carbon Footprint Reduction

In addition to operating cost reductions, the tools available on the linked page mentioned above will show you the amount of carbon dioxide that can be effectively eliminated from operations by converting from fossil fuels to electric powered vehicles.  In addition, the analysis shows the equivalent number of cars that would need to be removed from operation to match the estimated emission reductions.

Efficient battery charger retrofit

New battery charger technology has recently been evaluated by the federal Department of Energy in conjunction with the California Energy Commission resulting in a comprehensive report.  This report explains how newer energy efficient battery charging technology can have an immediate impact on charging energy expenses, with savings up to 30- 50% in reduced energy and demand charges.  These savings typically result in paybacks of less than 2 years and sometimes can justify changing out relatively new but less efficient battery chargers.

Load shifting

Many chargers are beginning to incorporate energy management features in addition to their improved energy efficiency.  As the electric grid becomes more congested, electric utilities will be implementing more rate structures intended to curb electric use during peak time periods. These features can limit the operation of the charger to lower cost “off-peak” electric rate times which can significantly reduce monthly electric bills.  Other features such as delayed charge start and reducing or eliminating energy use during idle times will also contribute to operational savings.

EnerSys is positioned to be your partner when evaluating and implementing green energy solutions within your operations.  EnerSys is the only industrial battery company in the world with a dedicated staff of Energy Specialists ready to assist you in realizing your environmental and cost goals.

About the Author:


Steve Spaar is the Director of Marketing for the Americas at EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications.