Gridscale batteries also have the benefit of being a very good place to reuse tired automobile batteries that otherwise would just be dumped. If we can get batteries that last 10-15 years in an automobile then another 10-15 in a grid scale deployment that’s far better than just lasting 15-20 years in an automobile. It also sucks that batteries completely die and have to be disposed of somehow because that’s not sustainable at all, but maybe there will be advancements in the future that make that less of a problem
I’m not sure about technological advancements, but there might be economic developments where the price of lithium rises to be high enough that recycling the materials in old batteries becomes a no-brainer and pays for itself. Some are working on scaling lithium battery recycling, and there are serious engineering challenges involved, but the long term trends on lithium prices makes R&D in recycling a pretty attractive investment.
Gridscale batteries also have the benefit of being a very good place to reuse tired automobile batteries that otherwise would just be dumped. If we can get batteries that last 10-15 years in an automobile then another 10-15 in a grid scale deployment that’s far better than just lasting 15-20 years in an automobile. It also sucks that batteries completely die and have to be disposed of somehow because that’s not sustainable at all, but maybe there will be advancements in the future that make that less of a problem
I’m not sure about technological advancements, but there might be economic developments where the price of lithium rises to be high enough that recycling the materials in old batteries becomes a no-brainer and pays for itself. Some are working on scaling lithium battery recycling, and there are serious engineering challenges involved, but the long term trends on lithium prices makes R&D in recycling a pretty attractive investment.