Lithium-ion batteries have higher voltage than other types of batteries, meaning they can store more energy and discharge more power for high-energy uses like driving a car at high speeds or providing emergency backup power. Charging and recharging a battery wears it out, but lithium-ion batteries are also long-lasting.
As the world increasingly swaps fossil fuel power for emissions-free electrification, batteries are becoming a vital storage tool to facilitate the energy transition. Lithium-Ion batteries first appeared commercially in the early 1990s and are now the go-to choice to power everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles and drones.
Batteries are an important part of the global energy system today and are poised to play a critical role in secure clean energy transitions. In the transport sector, they are the essential component in the millions of electric vehicles sold each year. In the power sector, battery storage is the fastest growing clean energy technology on the market.
Silicon cannot fully replace lithium in batteries, but adding silicon to lithium batteries would make them cheaper and perform for longer. Lithium-ion batteries currently include graphite as a key component. But lithium slips through gaps in graphite’s stacked carbon layers, resulting in a loss of battery storage over time.
Defer and limit expenses related to the production and sale of new batteries. Provide energy reserves that allow continuity of service, especially in industrial processes powered by other energy sources. Use the available energy previously accumulated in times of absence or high cost of raw materials.
It’s hardly a new idea; Nissan used 148 batteries from its original Leaf EV to create backup energy storage for Amsterdam’s Johann Cruijff Arena as long ago as 2018, while Audi and Mercedes-Benz have also both supplied used batteries to support large-scale industrial energy storage.