«In the world of #renewables, #lithium_ion #batteries are storage kings, making up around 70 percent of electric vehicle (EV) and 90 percent of grid batteries around the globe. As such, they’re becoming increasingly important in a world that’s trying to reduce its carbon emissions by electrifying homes, cars, and more. (Not that mining for lithium or the various rare earth metals in battery production is carbon-free.)

However, there are some problems with lithium-ion batteries, according to a recent Atlantic Council report. For one, existing #supply #chains for the #minerals used for batteries are likely to be pushed to their #limits as the world transitions to renewable energy.

But there are also #geopolitical factors that could disrupt these supply chains. For instance, many of the minerals tied to the production of these batteries are either obtained or processed in Russia and China. For the United States, this might mean that the security of the supply chains for these batteries is put at risk by geopolitical #conflicts. For instance, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw the price of nickel—a core component in EV batteries—skyrocket.

...

“Our main conclusion in this regard is that: What policymakers and the private sector really need to consider is this big-tent approach on battery storage. Naturally, we expected lithium-ion batteries [will have] a starring role, as it were, in the energy transition. But these #alternative #batteries are going to have an increasingly important supporting role,” Ryan said.

“We need all of these [battery] chemistries to be brought to market at scale as quickly as possible in order to relieve the pressure that exists on current lithium-ion supply chains,” he said.»

Report pushes ‘big-tent’ approach for the future of batteries
Beyond lithium: Report weighs strengths, weaknesses of alternative battery types
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/09/report-pushes-big-tent-approach-for-the-future-of-batteries/