Environment & Energy

OKIsItJustMe

(19,938 posts) Thu Dec 4, 2014, 10:22 AM Dec 2014

Discarded Laptop Batteries (can help) Keep the Lights On (in India)

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/532896/discarded-laptop-batteries-keep-the-lights-on/

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Discarded Laptop Batteries Keep the Lights On[/font]
[font size=4]Millions of batteries discarded with computers have more than enough life to power home lighting for one year, researchers in India say.[/font]

By David Talbot on December 3, 2014

[font size=3]Many of the estimated 50 million lithium-ion laptop batteries discarded every year could provide electricity storage sufficient to light homes in poor countries, researchers at IBM say.

In work being aired this week at a conference in San Jose, researchers at IBM Research India in Bangalore found that at least 70 percent of all discarded batteries have enough life left to power an LED light at least four hours a day for a year.

While it’s possible to combine LED lights with solar panels and rechargeable batteries (see “Innovators Under 35: Evans Wadongo”), using discarded batteries could make the approach far cheaper.

“The most costly component in these systems is often the battery,” says Vikas Chandan, a research scientist at the lab’s Smarter Energy Group, who led the project. “In this case, the most expensive part of your storage solution is coming from trash.”

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8 replies

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Highlight:

Discarded Laptop Batteries (can help) Keep the Lights On (in India) (Original Post) OKIsItJustMe Dec 2014 OP

Most laptop batteries have six lithium cells inside, often only two of the six have gone bad Fumesucker Dec 2014 #1

Indeed, the article describes disassembling bad batteries… OKIsItJustMe Dec 2014 #2

I've done it myself so I know what is involved Fumesucker Dec 2014 #5

How about if you were living in the slums of India? OKIsItJustMe Dec 2014 #6

That was my point, some places and situations it's worthwhile and some it's not Fumesucker Dec 2014 #7

“Do you always descend to personal insults when you don't understand someone's point?” OKIsItJustMe Dec 2014 #8

Repurposing lithium batteries isn't a trivial problem... hunter Dec 2014 #3

Yes, in the article they describe… OKIsItJustMe Dec 2014 #4

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

1. Most laptop batteries have six lithium cells inside, often only two of the six have gone bad

Reply to OKIsItJustMe (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:21 PM

Dec 2014

You have to take the battery apart though to use the good cells, the battery management system built into the laptop pack will not allow it to operate with bad cells in the pack.

Stripping out and rewiring the still good cells is the kind of labor intensive job that just doesn't pay enough of a return in developed countries to be worthwhile doing.

OKIsItJustMe

(19,938 posts)

2. Indeed, the article describes disassembling bad batteries…

Reply to Fumesucker (Reply #1)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:43 PM

Dec 2014

…to recover the good cells.

The good cells are then assembled with different circuitry to make new batteries.

However, your conclusion (that it is not “worthwhile doing”) is erroneous.

Similar systems (solar cells, charging batteries, to power LED’s at night) are already in use, in India and elsewhere. http://duckduckgo.com/?q=India+solar+LED+battery

This is a way to provide similar systems, making the most expensive portion (the battery) less expensive.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

5. I've done it myself so I know what is involved

Reply to OKIsItJustMe (Reply #2)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 02:00 PM

Dec 2014

In fact my ebike is powered by 144 recycled laptop cells that I personally harvested, tested and then wired together, I'm retired so the fact that I spent a couple of thousand dollars or so worth of time fooling with it isn't an issue, if I was trying to make a living doing it in the USA that would be an entirely different matter.

OKIsItJustMe

(19,938 posts)

6. How about if you were living in the slums of India?

Reply to Fumesucker (Reply #5)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 03:22 PM

Dec 2014

Do you suppose it would be worth your time then?

Talk about sucking fumes…

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

7. That was my point, some places and situations it's worthwhile and some it's not

Reply to OKIsItJustMe (Reply #6)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 04:34 PM

Dec 2014

Great idea in India, in the US not so much unless you are marginal to the economy to start with.

Do you always descend to personal insults when you don't understand someone's point?

OKIsItJustMe

(19,938 posts)

8. “Do you always descend to personal insults when you don't understand someone's point?”

Reply to Fumesucker (Reply #7)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 07:29 PM

Dec 2014

I try not to.

Allow me to apologize.

hunter

(38,322 posts)

3. Repurposing lithium batteries isn't a trivial problem...

Reply to OKIsItJustMe (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:52 PM

Dec 2014

... but it's an inexpensive way to obtain them.

In laptop packs it's usually just one cell gone bad.

The problem with lithium cells is that they are fussy about charging; without a proper smart charger they are quickly destroyed, and in the case of some types of cells overheat and catch fire.

It will be interesting to see what happens as more and more hybrid and electric cars reach the salvage yards. I don't think they'll be available at the usual "pick-a-part" scrapyards. The fuel, lubricating, and cooling fluids can easily be drained from a conventional automobile, rendering it reasonably safe and inert. Electric cars will have to have the batteries removed and these batteries probably won't make it out to experimenters and shade-tree mechanics.

OKIsItJustMe

(19,938 posts)

4. Yes, in the article they describe…

Reply to hunter (Reply #3)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:59 PM

Dec 2014

…

The IBM group, working with a hardware R&D firm called RadioStudio, tore open discarded laptop battery packaging and extracted individual storage units called cells, tested those individually to pick out the good ones, and recombined them to form refurbished battery packs. Then, after adding charging dongles as well as circuitry to prevent overheating, they gave them to five users in Bangalore who lived in slums or operated sidewalk carts.

…

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