Eneloop
Written by: adekun on 15 August, 2008 11:16 pm - Filed under: blog ?
eneloop, a low self-discharge NiMH battery
One of the many surprises when coming to live in Japan was lack in usage of rechargeable batteries. I expected in the land of high-technology it would be a given. I gather the people here have chargers for their mobile phones and HDV camcorders; if standard batteries are needed then its disposables all the way.
Every four months batteries and spent fluorescent tubes are collected. The usual mountains of rubbish are a real pity and those of batteries are no different. I don’t know why this is, or if attitudes are different the bigger cities. A certainty is the lack of advertisements. ‘Eco’ is touted about everywhere; electrically heated toilets, air-conditioners etc. but not the lowly battery.
In 2005 the first of the low self-discharge NiMH batteries were released. These address most of the concerns of the usual rechargeable. They come pre-charged and retain the bulk of their charge over long periods of time. They are more expensive, still people really rate them in reviews. We were among the many households storing up dead batteries; I hope over the next couple of collections our contribution will be minimal.
