In the race to net zero we are becoming more and more reliant on lithium-ion batteries. There has long been a market for lithium. Previously, the batteries were predominantly used in mobile phones and laptops. However, they now play a significant role in our fight against climate change - used in electric vehicles and as the favoured method for storage of renewable energy. But are we trying to solve one problem by creating another?

Lithium is a finite resource. Whilst there is believed to be plenty of lithium in the ground to keep us going for a century (and one would hope we find a better alternative in that time), it cannot currently be mined fast enough to meet demand. As reported by Mining.com the increased demand for lithium-ion batteries has pushed the price of lithium up by almost 500% in a year. The result will be that the end product (the electric vehicles (which are already expensive) or the renewable energy that has been stored) will become more expensive. When it is expected that 90% of the funding required to meet the UK's net zero pledge will come from private sources (including individual home owners) and in a cost of living crisis, this could price people out of the green market. 

Renewable energy is currently cheaper than fossil fuels and we need to keep it that way if we have any hope of tackling the rising energy prices. The energy price cap is currently expected to rise by a further 65% in October 2022 and is expected to plunge millions more people into fuel poverty. The UK needs to create cheap, clean energy as a matter of urgency. 

But cost is not the only issue associated with lithium. Lithium is mined from the ground in two ways and either way can harm the soil and cause air contamination. Lithium from Australia comes from ore mining, while in Chile and Argentina lithium comes from the saltwater under salt deserts:

• Ore mining - the ore is roasted and leached with sulfuric acid. Mining.com states that this process "is energy intensive and together with shipping the concentrate to China for refining can emit 3.5 times more carbon dioxide than lithium extracted from brine".
• Mining salt deserts - the lithium rich saltwalter is pumped from under the deserts and the water is allowed to evaporate so that the lithium can be extracted. Whilst this is considered the "greener" method of mining lithium, it is believed to affect the water supply to surrounding areas. There are numerous indigenous communities living around the Chilean salt deserts. In a place were droughts are already common and water scarce there is a risk that these communities will soon find their homes uninhabitable.

At the other end of the production line, whilst rare, there are issues with battery leakages causing land contamination (which could affect public health) and battery fires/explosions. It is also yet to be seen how effectively large lithium-ion batteries can be recycled once they reach the end of their useful lives.

All of these issues lead to the question of whether we should be ramping up research on alternative storage solutions now? There are numerous ways that the lay of the land itself and other alternatives can potentially be used to create storage, some of which I have explored in a previous post which can be found here.