There are, in actuality, a couple different types of batteries, and each one was designed for a specific application. So, it’s time to assault your own misconceptions and replace them with powerful green knowledge that will help clean up the environment and lower your energy bills.

Starting Batteries: These batteries are usually used to start and run engines. They were designed to provide an initial, powerful charge to initiate a reaction. When you start up your engine, it needs this kind of powerful blast of energy to start the internal combustion process. They are only meant to deliver these small but powerful charges so they don’t deplete capacity each time they are used. This is why they can last for thousands of cycles of normal starting use.

Deep Cycle Batteries: These batteries were designed for use when power is needed over a longer period of time. Deep cycle batteries are designed to discharge most of their capacity on a regular basis and then be recharged. They are most often used to store power from wind or solar power systems, though you can also find them in electrically powered industrial equipment, golf cars, traffic signals, and similar, long-running devices. If you have a battery backups system of any kind, deep cycle batteries will be the most effective choice.

All automotive, marine, and deep cycle batteries are constructed in one of three types: wet, gelled, or AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat).

Wet-Cell Batteries: These were designed to work effectively for deep cycle applications. They will, however, require some extra maintenance because water loss can occur, and because the charging process can give off some gasses, it is important that they are used in a well-ventilated area.

Gel Batteries: Instead of a liquid, these batteries use a gelified electrolyte to make the resulting mass completely immobile. This means that the batteries don’t need to be kept upright when they are used and they will have less evaporation than wet-celled batteries.

AGM Batteries: These batteries hold the electrolyte in the glass mat separator through a capillary action. This can be beneficial because there is nothing to be spilled, there is never a need to refill the water, and the acid is fully encapsulated in the matting. They will, of course, be a little more expensive than the other types.

Getting the right batteries isn’t hard – you simply have to understand some of these differences to choose the one that will perform the optimally in your situation. Linking a bunch of car batteries to your solar system or wind generators is only going to lead to problems, so make sure you get the right equipment when you decide to convert to green energy.

Methanol, once known as wood alcohol, is used to supply the power for the Mobion which can easily be recharged once the methanol runs low. The methanol can also be generated from biofuels for pennies on the dollars making it a green and cheap alternative.

The Mobion is being heralded as a personal power generator in that it is portable (you are not tied to the electrical outlet) and will provide electricity to any device with a USB port. The methanol cartridge is hot swappable meaning that even if your device is plugged in, it will continue to play as you put in a new cartridge (in a pear tree – hey it’s the holidays).

According to MTI, “This compact 25ml cartridge can fully charge an average cell phone battery over 10 times; for an average user, this could power a cell phone for approximately one month, play 10,000 thousand songs or watch over 100 hours of video on their popular MP3 player, or take over 6,000 pictures on a high end professional digital camera.”

I’ve heard it stated many times that lithium is going to be the next gold rush. Large companies are now buying lithium mines and land for mining across the globe to put the substance into electric cars, vehicles, batteries and anything that needs an electrical charge.

Methanol fuel cell technology such as that used by the Mobion would be a greener solution that won’t involve tearing up the land and will provide more power to our ever increasing energy needs.

The Horizon MiniPak is a portable, reusable electronics charger that is based upon hydrogen technology. One simply inserts a HydroStik cartridge into the MiniPak and in a moment, the light comes on and the device is ready to dispense electricity through a USB connection to any device that uses this connection.

This means that laptops, cell phones, digital cameras and the like can all be run off the MiniPak. And like a battery, when the HydroStik runs dry, you simply pop in a new one. For the environmentalists who want to go the extra mile to save on energy, Horizon has also introduced the HydroFill home personal hydrogen station.

Horizon is calling this “disruptive technology” and if you watch the video, you’ll see why. The Horizon MiniPak will compete directly with the myriad of batteries on the market that don’t have as long of life and are not nearly as versatile.

Panasonic is promoting this battery for homeowners who already have solar or wind power in place or will in the very near future. And, this battery will surely store such energy.

But, one facet of this new Panasonic lithium ion home battery that is not being talked about is its value to every homeowner and not just those who are using renewable energy. What is so exciting is that homeowners will now have the ability to charge the home battery during off-peak hours from the power company when the rates are the lowest and use this battery power when the rates are the highest.

This means you don’t even have to go wind or solar to save green. If homeowners were to do this it would not only save them money but more evenly spread out the energy usage on the grid. This would also help the proliferation of wind to grid and solar to grid technology, which is intermittent, if homeowners were equipped to store this intermittent energy and use it as needed.

The only challenge now is bringing the cost of this home battery down to consumer-friendly levels. But, Panasonic has a history of doing just this and in a very short time both you and me could be saving money, storing our own energy and using it as needed around our homes.

Companies like A123Systems, Compact Power, KD Advanced Battery Group, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler will all get a slice of the battery budget pie. The idea is to build or retool other plants for the creation of advanced batteries such as the new generation of lithium ions.

In Michigan the plan is to open four separate battery plants the employ at least 6,800 workers, which will help in gaining state tax credits of $555 million. Some of the cities that will be considered for battery plants include Livonia, Pontiac, Troy and Holland, Michigan.

I’ve personally been to Holland, Michigan as a kid and remember a big windmill and inside they were selling wooden shoes. It’s a sign of the times that this city would progress from wooden shoes to advanced lithium ion battery technology.

Some of the new cars that will benefit from these new advanced battery plants include the Chevy Volt, a 2011 yet to be named Buick plug-in, a Ford plug-in and several Chrysler plug-in electric vehicles.

So, out of work, Detroit automakers take heart as in the near future, jobs will be coming to Michigan in the area of advanced battery technology. And, the cars you’re making them for won’t be your father’s automobile.

The next generation battery by IBM is said to be able to store 10X the power that today’s top lithium ions can handle. Now, some may scratch their heads as to why a computer company would want to build next generation batteries.

They may even liken it to Exxon building hybrid car enabling technology. But the pot of the gold at the end of the rainbow for IBM may be smart grid technology. The aging electrical grid, if converted to smart grid technology will need new software and hardware for its infrastructure.

I’ve talked about smart metering as one way for computer software, hardware and infrastructure companies to make money. Smart grid technology is similar.

The new IBM batteries will help solve the problem of intermittent energy from wind and solar power. Some advocates want to store this power as hydrogen or molten salt or many other methods. Storing the power in batteries and then using it when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining solves the problem and is a potential money magnet.

In addition if the same battery technology can be used in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric cars, (along with software and hardware controllers) then this could mean a cash windfall for Big Blue (IBM) as well.

As Big Blue goes green, this may just be the change for which we’ve all been waiting.

The micro hydrogen fuel cell is geared towards replacing lithium ion batteries in small portable devices such as cellular phones. The Angstrom fuel cell lasts twice as long as any other lithium ion batteries currently on the market.

The micro fuel cell can also be recharged in only 10 minutes. One of the downsides for cell phone consumers has always been the short battery life and long recharge times. Angstrom’s Micro Hydrogen fuel cell is looking to give the customer what they’ve been wanting for several years now.

With the introduction of the iPhone and other smartphones that require increased power to run the graphics and video applications, the Angstrom hydrogen phone power system is set to compete head on with rechargeable lithium ion batteries.

Typically, lithium-ion batteries carry carbon anodes that do not shrink or swell much when charged or discharged. Silicon is a far more powerful choice, but it tends to shrink and swell more leading to rapid degradation of the batteries.

The nanowire technology, developed by assistant professor Yi Cui and his engineering colleagues, allows for this expansion and contraction among the thin mesh of wires. These cutting edge advanced batteries may just be the technology for which the electric car and plug-in electric vehicle manufacturers have been waiting.

Mark up another score for nanotechnology. When PHEVs start to roll off the assembly lines a couple of years from now, these nanowire lithium-ion batteries may just be the heart and soul of the vehicles.

Developed by Dr. John Goodenough (as opposed to Boris Badenov) at the University of Texas, LiFePO4 batteries have seen wide acceptance recently in Asian countries, but still have not made inroads in the U. S. marketplace. This is about to change, however.

With recently safety concerns over other laptop batteries catching fire and the ensuing recall, LiFePO4 batteries are now being used by some manufacturers as a safer alternative. LiFePO4 batteries are also being used in electric bicycles and power scooters.

For electric vehicles and plug-in electric cars, the LiFePO4 batteries such as those on the electricvehiclesnow.com website operate well in temperatures up to 400-degrees F, last for 6 to 7 years at a charge-discharge cycle of over 3,000.

The biggest player in the LiFePO4 marketplace for electric vehicles, however, is A123 Systems that has teamed up with GM to develop these Lithium Iron Phophate batteries for the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid. Another big player is Lithium Technology Corporation who has been working with GM, Toyota and U. C. Davis to develop LiFePO4 batteries for all-electric and hybrid vehicles.

We are on the cusp of a revolution in battery technology. Tomorrow’s choice for safe, high-output rechargeable batteries for vehicles will be Lithium Iron Phophate.

Yes, you heard that right. ExxonMobile is developing technology that will help cars use less gasoline. Developed with Tonen Chemical, their Japanese affiliate, Exxon has created a thin membrane the size of a human hair that separates the cathode from the anode and allows batteries to charge and discharge at higher temperatures (plus pack more power) without catching fire.

Toyota, General Motors and Ford are currently racing to develop lithium ion batteries for plug-in hybrids in partnership with companies like A123Systems and LG Chem, Ltd. The current Toyota Prius uses nickel-metal hydride batteries, but lithium ion is thought to be the future for full electric vehicles and hybrids as well.

So, what does Exxon have up its sleeve? The company that has perpetrated the worst oil spill in history off the Alaskan coast has suddenly gone green? Perhaps, this is a signal that times are changing and that for oil companies to continue to bring in the green and remain in the black, they must become not just oil producers but energy companies as well.

Let’s hope that Exxon is so good at creating methods for alternative energy adoption that they drive themselves right out of the oil business. Wouldn’t that be ironic? Don’t you think.