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What Is Battery Aging? Understand How Aging Batteries Affect Performance
Published by Dawnice, July 30, 2025
What Is Battery Aging? Understanding the Aging Battery Phenomenon
Battery aging—also known as battery ageing—refers to the gradual loss of a battery’s capacity, efficiency, and performance over time. Whether it’s a home energy storage system or a commercial battery bank, all lithium batteries experience aging due to chemical and physical changes within the cells.
This aging process happens in two ways: calendar aging (from time) and cycle aging (from use). That’s why even if a battery isn’t used heavily, it can still become an aging battery just by sitting on a shelf.
Why Do Batteries Age? Key Factors Behind Battery Aging
So, what causes battery ageing? There are multiple factors at play:
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Temperature extremes: High heat accelerates chemical degradation.
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Charging habits: Frequent overcharging or deep discharging can age a battery faster.
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Number of cycles: The more times a battery charges and discharges, the more it ages.
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State of charge: Keeping a battery at 100% or 0% too often also increases battery aging.
Understanding the aging of battery technology helps you make smarter decisions on how to store, use, and maintain batteries long-term.
What Happens to an Aging Battery?
An aging battery shows several signs:
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Reduced storage capacity
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Slower charging speeds
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Voltage drops under load
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Shorter runtime or backup duration
If you’re using a home or commercial ageing battery, it may no longer meet your energy storage needs, even if it still powers on. Monitoring tools like a Battery Management System (BMS) are essential to detect these early signs of battery ageing.
How to Slow Down Battery Aging Like a Pro
You can’t stop battery aging, but you can definitely slow it down. Here’s how:
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Store batteries at moderate temperatures (15°C–25°C)
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Avoid full 100% charges and 0% discharges
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Limit high current charging and discharging
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Use intelligent charging systems to manage battery health
Whether you’re using a 5kWh home system or a 100kWh commercial setup, proactive care can extend lifespan by years.
Why Battery Aging Matters in Energy Storage
In the world of energy storage, battery aging directly affects performance, return on investment, and safety. An old age battery might not just underperform—it could fail under critical conditions.
By understanding what is battery aging, you can:
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Plan battery replacements in advance
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Optimize your energy usage strategies
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Improve the total lifecycle cost of your system
It’s not just about keeping the lights on—it’s about keeping them on efficiently.