BATTERY ADVANCES WILL MAKE OUR FUTURE BRIGHT
For most of the 20th century, the key to meeting the soaring energy demands of growing economies was more production. With the new millennium, however, came an increasing awareness of the associated damage from fossil fuels — record numbers of megastorms, blistering heat and drought without end.
Climate change is inducing a paradigm shift. Modern economies can’t run without energy, but ever-increasing production and consumption will lead not to prosperity but to ruin. An energy challenge of our time is minimizing greenhouse gas emissions while making the most of every bit of energy spent.
Batteries are the key technology to a more stable and reliable electric grid and effective action on climate — both in preventing the acceleration of warming and mitigating its effects.
When cyclones wipe out power lines, powerful mobile batteries can restore electricity. When midday temperatures soar to 125 degrees, batteries can relieve pressure on the grid that powers essential air conditioning. And in remote regions of the developing world where riverbeds now remain dry yearround, batteries can operate pumps to draw essential water from the ground.
In addition to such life-saving applications, batteries of everincreasing efficiency can help us make the most of the energy we do produce. Almost two-thirds of energy used to produce electricity is lost in its generation, transmission and delivery to consumers. The ability to capture and retain as much electricity as possible until it’s needed for use would be transformative for effective climate action across the globe.
Battery technology is improving rapidly, and our manufacturing capabilities are getting better every day. It has already been 30 years since the first lithium-ion battery. Now, that technology is advanced enough to power a pickup truck. Tomorrow, it could very well power a plane.
Today, road transportation accounts for 15 percent of global emissions. But the good news is that last year, battery-powered electric vehicle global sales reached record highs. Over 16 million EVs are on the road today, with that figure expected to eclipse 300 million by the end of the decade.
That’s a big deal for the climate in its own right: already, a typical electric vehicle produces just half the lifetime greenhouse gas emissions of a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle. According to researchers from Northwestern University, the University of Colorado Boulder and Boston University, EV adoption in the United States of just 25 percent would save around $17 billion each year in economic costs by preventing health and climate damages associated with carbon emissions and environmental pollutants.
The better our batteries, the more stable our electric grid. For some electric vehicle owners, a car battery can already provide a backup source of electricity for the home during a power outage. When fully charged, Ford’s new electric F-150 pickup has the capacity to pump a total of 9.6 kilowatts into your house — enough to keep the power on for several days.
Renewable energy sources will become more valuable as our battery technology gets better at capturing and storing the power they generate. One study of California’s energy grid found that renewable energy storage could lead to a 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions.
From 2013 to 2021, the cost of lithium-ion batteries fell by 80 percent, opening up new vistas for their practical application. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030, batteries could achieve 30 percent of the power and transportation emissions reductions necessary to hold global warming to an increase of 2 degrees Celsius. A 2019 report from the international organization said this reduction would result from batteries preventing carbon emissions in the transportation sector and increasing reliability on renewable energy in the power sector, which would displace energy sources with higher carbon emissions.
But we need to accelerate innovation. For batteries to reach their full potential in the fight against climate change, we must address several obstacles, including identifying raw materials for battery production.
The two key materials used in lithium-ion batteries — cobalt and lithium — are highly concentrated in just a few countries. Virtually all the world’s known cobalt is concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and China. Fortunately, researchers have identified promising alternatives to cobalt, including glass-ceramic composites and manganese. These materials are cheaper, more sustainable and less vulnerable to supply-chain disruption.
After sourcing new materials, engineers need to identify the optimal combination for the battery’s construction and power output. It’s a two-fold challenge: finding new ingredients and perfecting the recipe. Virtual modeling and simulation technology harnesses the power of the digital world to create a virtual facsimile of a real-world object. This process allows manufacturers to model and evaluate new battery designs and materials — including testdriving the chemistry of the raw materials used in battery production — without the time and cost associated with physical tests and prototypes.
Finally, at battery manufacturing plants, operators have struggled to keep up with the lightning pace of technological advances. A move to modular production lines allowing for swift reconfiguration can make factories more adaptable.
Improved technology shows great promise for addressing all these challenges for next-generation batteries. Advances in battery technology are leading us to a greener world. No doubt, our fully charged future is going to be bright.
Having the ability to capture and retain as much electricity as possible until it’s needed for use would be transformative for effective climate action across the globe.