Whilst critical applications for lead are being used less and less in our daily lives, the importance of lead in future-orientated sectors is increasing. Not all products by SCHNEIDER are "visible". They can frequently be found in walls or on roofs, or are simply integrated into other products as components.

Lead is highly conductible and can store electrical energy extremely well. Up to 80 percent of the processed materials can be found in batteries. Lead-acid batteries are mainly used as start or drive batteries on motor vehicles, as accumulators in emergency power supplies or for solar power storage.

Lead protects people and the environment against unwanted radiation, for example in medical technology for diagnosis and treatment purposes, or during luggage checks at airports. Whilst the use of targeted radiation is vital for diagnosis and treatment, permanent radiation may cause severe damage to our organisms. Due to its high density of 11.336 kilograms per cubic decimetre, foils or plates made of rolled lead are suitable for shielding radioactive sources. Rooms in hospitals are frequently lined completely with lead. Here even a low material thickness can achieve efficient radiation protection. In addition, lead containers aid in the transport and storage of radioisotopes for the treatment of cancer or of thyroid problems.

Lead plays a role in the generation of storage of regenerative energies. Lead casings protect underwater cables for offshore wind parks against deep sea conditions. The metal is also used as a balancing weight for rotors. Solar collectors on roofs are carried out using profiled, colour-coated lead films.

Due to their density, lead foils are also suitable as protection against noise, dangerous gases and fluids - for example during the transport of hazardous goods. In this way, lead containers guarantee the safe transport of waste from nuclear power plants.

Without lead, the beauty of many monuments could not be retained. The material rolled lead is traditionally used for roof and facade cladding and protects long-term against outside weather conditions. Rolled lead is the oldest of all construction metals for roofers and plumbers. Amongst the most famous buildings covered with lead are the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the castle of Versailles near Paris or the cathedral at Cologne. A more recent example of a restoration using lead is the Dresdner Frauenkirche. Fifty tonnes of rolled lead were used for cladding in the main cupola area, which was then covered with sandstone, and for staircases and the dome batter.

Solutions using lead can also be found in the building security and fundamental physical research sectors.
The use of lead dampers has proven highly effective in protecting against the catastrophic consequences of earthquakes. Under the influence of high dynamic forces, these lead dampers deform but do not break. This relieves the strain on the otherwise static foundations during an earthquake. On particle accelerators, lead is used as a conversion material within the detectors. The lead material brakes the particles which impact it and divides them into further components. The energy produced by these tiny elements can then be measured parallel to this process.