Biggest challenge: Everyone wants more battery power
2023-03-13
Access to renewable energy is key to success
However, as Meng points out, how green a battery is depends on the grid that powers it.
In order to make battery technology sustainable, green electronics need to be realized,
"For battery technology to be sustainable, green electronics need to be achieved," she said. "If you're charging your car on a grid that doesn't include a lot of renewable energy, then the battery alone won't help reduce the planet's carbon emissions."
As demand for batteries increases, Meng stresses the importance of having factories in the right places and expanding the use of renewable energy.
"Battery production needs to happen where electrification and access to renewable energy is easy," she said.
This need extends to critical industrial processes such as heating, the efficiency and sustainability of which can be significantly improved through the use of electric heating solutions.
Electric heating for increased efficiency
"This is especially important in cathode production because it requires extremely high temperatures to heat the precursors to produce the cathode material," Meng explained. "Using inefficient heating methods will lead to more emissions from the manufacturing process."
Another problem is the lack of key raw materials needed to make batteries, such as nickel, cobalt and copper. One solution is to find ways to modernize mining companies and lithium refiners and increase efficiency, while another is to explore alternatives to lithium-ion batteries.
Next Generation Battery Technology
Various alternatives for next-generation batteries are currently being investigated. The three most promising batteries include lithium metal, solid-state and sodium-ion batteries, Meng said.
"Lithium metal batteries have the potential to increase energy density and thus unlock applications such as flying cars," she said. "Solid-state batteries are much safer, but also much more expensive to produce. Sodium-ion battery technology is still in its infancy, but could be very promising because sodium is readily available."
Batteries should be designed for easy recycling
Another way to reduce pressure on existing supply chains is to find ways to recycle lithium-ion batteries more efficiently.
"Currently only about 20 percent of lithium-ion batteries are recycled, so we have to start thinking about how to reuse these resources," Meng said. [This is a product that should have been designed from the ground up for recycling. We need battery packs that can be recycled forever on the planet - not dumped in landfills."
100 times larger capacity
Looking ahead, Meng emphasized the importance of developing what she calls a healthy battery industry.
"To drive the world's energy transition, we need batteries of a few hundred terawatt hours, which is at least a hundred times the capacity we have today," she said, adding that this capacity would need to be delivered without depleting our natural resources or sacrificing the planet. The cases are somehow increased.
"We need to think about how to mine, where to mine, and how to recycle," Meng said. [This will require planning and careful consideration of elemental distribution. I would like to see new battery producers establishing factories where renewable resources are readily available and investigating potential future-proof alternatives to lithium batteries."
