Energy storage is a critical technology for the development of renewable energy sources and smart grids.The lead carbon battery shows the excellent performance in the safety, economy and cycle performance, which has a broad prospect in energy storage applications compared to conventional lead-acid battery.This paper analyzes the development history and working principle of lead carbon batteries, and compares them with lead-acid batteries in four aspects: safety performance, electricity cost, cycle life and specific energy.Meanwhile, the recent energy storage applications of lead carbon batteries are introduced and the challenges for lead carbon battery are also discussed.