White Papers
Rip & Replace and BEAD: What You Need to Know and How Exponential Power Can Help
Rural telecommunications providers face new challenges with government programs like the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (commonly called “Rip & Replace”) and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. These...
Year-End Preventative Maintenance
Year-end preventative maintenance plays a key role in maintaining reliable backup power systems across industries like data centers, telecommunications, manufacturing, industrial facilities, and motive power applications. These industries rely on uninterrupted power...
Extending Your Forklift Lease? How to Keep Your Batteries Running Longer
If you’re considering extending the lease on your forklift, it’s essential to think about how you’ll keep your batteries running effectively during that period. Motive power batteries are the backbone of material handling equipment like forklifts and pallet jacks, but...
Are Maintenance-Free Batteries Really Maintenance-Free? Understanding VRLA Battery Maintenance
The term "maintenance-free" has been around for a long time, primarily used by the automotive industry to highlight the convenience of batteries that don’t require water refills. In automotive applications, this makes sense. But when it comes to industrial stationary...
Choosing the Right Forklift Battery
You juggle many roles: strategist, efficiency expert, and the one responsible for keeping your industrial equipment—from forklifts to pallet jacks—charged and ready to go. Downtime is the last thing you want, as it leads to lost productivity, frustrated employees, and...
The Importance of Battery Systems in Modern Life: Lead-Acid, Nickel-Cadmium, and the Rise of Lithium-Ion
Batteries play an integral role in the systems that power the world around us. From keeping communication networks running to providing essential backup power in critical infrastructure, they ensure that power is available when it's needed most. Among the most common...
Battery Charger Efficiencies: Ferro vs. High-Frequency Technology and How They Benefit Battery Conditioning
For fleet managers overseeing material handling equipment such as forklifts and pallet jacks, one of the most critical factors in maintaining operational efficiency is the proper charging and conditioning of motive power batteries. The right charger can not only...
What Rural Telecom Providers Need to Know About the “Rip and Replace” Program
Big changes could be coming to the telecom industry, and if you're a rural telecom provider, these changes could have a direct impact on your business. Congress has recently proposed new funding to support the “Rip and Replace” program, an initiative designed to...
Replacing Lead-Acid and Nickel-Cadmium Stationary Batteries with Lithium-Ion – It’s Not a Simple Swap
The rapid advancement and adoption of lithium-ion batteries in battery electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems has people considering replacing their existing lead acid and nickel-cadmium stationary batteries with lithium-ion. The potential space and...
Prevention Through Design: Strategies To Reduce The Hazards Of Stationary Battery Systems Through Intelligent Design
Introduction Stationary battery systems have a high potential for electrical risk but with proper forethought and the implementation of simple design features, we can reduce that risk. This paper discusses simple but often overlooked or misapplied methods of improving...
Hurricane Restoration: Tales from the Field
Introduction On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama causing damage on scale never before witnessed in the affected area. Three weeks later, Hurricane Rita slammed into southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas causing...
Storing Lithium Batteries – The Safety Needs & Regulatory Requirements
Introduction A major benefit of Lithium-ion batteries is the amount of power they can store. Unfortunately, this can also be a drawback because if this energy is released in an uncontrolled manner a very intense fire is the typical result. This can occur during...
Reducing the Hazards of Stationary Battery Systems Through Intelligent Design
Introduction Stationary battery systems have a high potential for electrical risk, but the risks can be reduced with the implementation of simple design features. Stationary battery systems are traditionally used in telecommunications, switchgear systems, (MCC,...
Hydrogen Gas Monitoring in Stationary & Utility Applications
Introduction: Risk—Monitored and Unmonitored Both Lead Acid and Nickel Cadmium batteries produce flammable hydrogen gas during normal charging. Overcharging, excessive heat and many other factors can quickly cause batteries to produce even more hydrogen. As hydrogen...
Short Circuit Battery Installation Damage
Introduction An electrical contractor created a short circuit during a battery installation. In 2016, we received a called for assistance from one of our customers when their “embedded” electrical contractor installed two battery systems in a new unit at their...
Testing Internal Resistance of VRLA Batteries
Introduction Battery system maintenance and monitoring are key elements in the reliability of any DC battery powered system and are IEEE and NERC requirements. Also, most battery manufacturers require regular maintenance and maintenance records of purchased batteries...
Tubular vs. Flat Plate Battery Design
Introduction Lead-acid batteries have been around for more than 150 years. While flat plate models with a lattice grid represented a technological leap forward in 1881, tubular construction is a more robust technology with many advantages. With advancements such as...
Battery Damage Caused by Unqualified Installers
Introduction An electrical contractor damaged jars during installation resulting in delayed leaks surfacing after new battery and battery building was turned over to plant operations. In 2017 we received a call from a utility customer who reported leaking cells in a...
Battery Warranties Explained
Introduction: Battery Warranties The idea of the 20-year warranty began in the 1960s as a marketing campaign for lead calcium batteries. With newer battery technologies being developed with different design, performance and construction principles, the industry finds...
The Risks of Unmonitored Hydrogen in Motive Power Applications
Introduction: Hydrogen Risks in Industrial Settings From lead acid to LiOn to NiCad, all batteries produce flammable hydrogen gas during normal charging. Overcharging, excessive heat and many other factors can quickly cause batteries to produce even more hydrogen. As...