Systems thinking project

Benefits and Detriments
Nowadays, laptops are very easy and comfortable to use, also they becoming common device of every student, office worker because of its mobility. Laptops offer many and many advantages. In other words, laptops can do everything that big PCs can do, but it is much smaller. There is more than one way to make a laptop that lasts over ten hours.
Laptop batteries are available in different sizes, cells, and power capacities matching the laptop models. So, when you buy a laptop battery, first make sure that it is compatible with your laptop. To understand it, check the model number of your device and find out which battery is appropriate for your computer. In addition, you need to buy a battery that has the same voltage as in the old one. A key consideration when purchasing a laptop is the battery life. In the past, batteries had an average lifespan of 2-4 hours. The newest laptops even boast up to 36+ hours of battery life, which is a fantastic benefit. Some laptops have a battery life of 18+ hours. One approach is to cram as many battery modules into a laptop's chassis as it can possibly hold. Another is to see how long you can get a smaller battery to last. A laptop with a 40W battery uses fewer than 4W per hour to last for over ten hours. On the flip side, a laptop with an 80W battery can last for over ten hours, even if it's drawing 7W of power. Seeing on a box or website that a laptop lasts over ten hours doesn't tell you how much energy it uses. But if you know the laptop's battery size as well, then you can do the math and work out the efficiency. A weaker laptop with a smaller battery can still allow you to check email, prepare documents, and handle money without significantly taxing your off-grid power system if you don't need the extra power. When compared to other electronics, laptops use relatively little electricity, which can persuade you to transfer additional work to your PC. It's definitely simpler to transport. A larger battery is beneficial if your objective is to go as long as possible without recharging. No matter how energy-efficient your computer is, it is simpler to get longer battery life out of a laptop with a large battery. Additionally, you might achieve longer battery life from your device than what is claimed if you know you have a large battery and can limit your CPU or employ other power-saving techniques. Apple Silicon CPUs in Mac Books blend a powerful processor with a sizable battery. As a result, the battery life surpasses that of the majority of the competition. It's possible that you won't. Laptop lithium battery shows higher performance than other batteries. It is lightweight and has good battery life. Lithium-ion batteries have a high energy density to hold a high amount of energy.

Laptop batteries can often be expensive because the laptop manufacturer is the only one who makes a battery to fit their particular laptop. This is done so the manufacturer will have control of the market when you need a new battery. Often this is done to encourage you to buy a new laptop instead of replacing the battery. In many cases there is little difference in the price, which is what the manufacturer intended. Some laptop batteries, such as the Ni-Cad, will suffer from a problem which is commonly called the memory effect. This is caused when you continually recharge the battery without letting it discharge entirely. After a time the battery will forget that it has unused capacity and it will discharge much faster each time it is used. The best way to avoid this laptop battery problem is to allow your battery to completely discharge at least once each month. This allows the battery to retain its original memory and provides longer usage.

When your laptop is not in use for an extended period of time it is best to remove the battery. The battery will continue to slowly discharge during the time it is not in use. If this discharge takes place inside the laptop you may not be able to get your laptop to recognize the battery the next time it is recharged. You can also experience battery problems if you allow your battery to completely discharge outside the laptop.
Material Design
 The new battery could become a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative for storing renewable energy and supporting the power grid. A team based at DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory identified this energy storage gem after realizing the new battery works in a different way than they had assumed. A recent study in the journal Nature Energy describes the battery.

After years of focusing on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, researchers are used to thinking about the back-and-forth shuttle of lithium ions. Lithium-ion batteries store and release energy through a process called intercalation, which involves lithium ions entering and exiting microscopic spaces in between the atoms of a battery's two electrodes.

This concept is so engrained in energy storage research that when PNNL scientists, collaborating with the University of Washington, started considering a low-cost, safe alternative to lithium-ion batteries -- a rechargeable zinc-manganese oxide battery -- they assumed zinc would similarly move in and out of that battery's electrodes.

After a battery of tests, the team was surprised to realize their device was undergoing an entirely different process. Instead of simply moving the zinc ions around, their zinc-manganese oxide battery was undergoing a reversible chemical reaction that converted its active materials into entirely new ones. To dig deeper, they examined the electrodes with several advanced instruments with a variety of scientific techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray diffraction. The instruments used were located at both PNNL and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a DOE Office of Science user facility located at PNNL. Combining these techniques revealed manganese oxide was reversibly reacting with protons from the water-based electrolyte, which created a new material, zinc hydroxyl sulfate. Typically, zinc-manganese oxide batteries significantly lose storage capacity after just a few cycles. This happens because manganese from the battery's positive electrode begins to sluff off, making the battery's active material inaccessible for energy storage. But after some manganese dissolves into the electrolyte, the battery gradually stabilizes and the storage capacity levels out, though at a much lower level. This concept is so engrained in energy storage research that when PNNL scientists, collaborating with the University of Washington, started considering a low-cost, safe alternative to lithium-ion batteries -- a rechargeable zinc-manganese oxide battery -- they assumed zinc would similarly move in and out of that battery's electrodes.\ C-rate is the rate which a battery charges or discharges. For example, battery which has a capacity of 2000 mAh, and is rated at 1C; will deliver 2000mAh of current for one hour when discharging. If the same battery were to discharge 2000 mAh of current in 30 minutes, it would be rated at 2C. Batteries are designed to discharge a constant C-rate. An abnormal C-rate, where the battery is discharging faster than intended can outpace the speed of lithium transfer from anode to cathode inside the battery. The incomplete transfer promotes dendrite growth which consumes lithium and contributes to capacity fade. Woody concludes that for notebook computers, the battery’s built in BMS (Battery Management System) circuity helps to mitigate the negative effects of temperature, SoC and current, but that that individual usage patterns may still accelerate a battery’s decline. He recommends that notebook users follow the recommendations for battery longevity typically found at the manufacturer’s web site. By following these suggestions, users can benefit from longer battery life between charges, as well as extending the useful life of the notebook itself.