The unrealistic focus on lithium as the only scalable solution to battery energy storage in most applications presents an opportunity for the lead battery industry, says the International Lead Association.
Opening the European Lead Battery Conference (ELBC) in Lyon, France, Dr Andy Bush, Managing Director of ILA, said a result of that over-focus is “a yawning gap between that expectation and the practicalities of actually delivering it when the numbers simply don’t add up.
“Looking beyond lithium for solutions will, ironically, mean returning to lead as people increasingly realise there is a ready-made, safe, sustainable and affordable solution that, together with lithium, can help meet the massive battery demand that’s predicted over the next few decades.”
He pointed to almost weekly reports highlighting the gap between lithium battery raw materials supply and demand, or the challenges of ramping up lithium battery manufacturing capacity. “And then there’s the environmental impacts of sourcing vast quantities of critical raw materials and the inevitable implications for lithium battery prices.”
All that convinces him that lead batteries will play an important role as one of two major chemistries delivering at the scale most battery energy storage needs. Lithium will remain the preferred choice for applications such as EV traction batteries and portable devices, he said.
Lead batteries will remain a key technology best suited to their own key strengths of cost, safety and sustainability, he added. That means everything from EV auxiliary batteries to renewable energy storage and already proven solutions.
He said the lead battery industry must continue to innovate and adapt, and in a sustainable way. That also calls for a policy and legislative framework that:
- recognises the importance of lead batteries
- incentivises the required investments.
“But I’m afraid that’s simply not where we are today, especially here in Europe where there seems to be an almost blinkered focus on hazardous materials substitution, even when that offers few environmental benefits and very many downsides.”
Caption: ILA chief Dr Andy Bush opens ELBC 2022: ‘Unrealistic focus on lithium as the only scalable solution.’
