Potential of Lithium ION Batteries to Be More Greener

1. Potential of Lithium ION Batteries to Be More Greener Experts believe that lithium-ion batteries very much hold the key to a low carbon future; they believe this technology has the potential to help humankind achieve their much-desired goal of clean energy. There is a reason why the number of lithium-ion battery manufacturers is increasing day by day, and the reason is very simple its ever-increasing use. Already used in smartphones and laptops very soon is going to rule the market of an electric vehicle. Also helping in electrical and grid energy storage. With the cost of lithium-ion batteries dropping they are increasingly deployed in ancillary services. It is playing an important role in electrical energy storage at a time when production is more than demand. The projection for lithium-ion batteries is 100 billion dollars by 2025. So it is very clear how important a role lithium-ion battery is playing and their role is only going to increase with time. It is no doubt a great technology and can provide a solution to clean energy but there are some downsides to it. First, there is a finite amount of lithium on the planet so it’s not a truly renewable source of energy. Also, the extraction of lithium and cobalt requires a lot of energy and water. Policymakers, researchers, industry leaders and lithium-ion battery manufacturers need to find solutions to these problems; they need to find ways to reduce these unintended consequences of an important technology. one solution to this problem can be achieved if lithium-ion batteries can be made reusable or making them usable after recycling. This needs to be achieved quickly. Also, more work is required to invent ways of extracting lithium in a more sustainable way than they are used in extraction. In Argentina and Chile, it is mined using huge quantity is used and in China and Australia, it is extracted by exposing it to high temperatures which consumes a lot of energy. Also, cobalt which is an important part of battery electrodes is mainly found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an alternative to cobalt needs to be found. It needs to be replaced with more abundant material. With more and more demand for green energy solutions, lithium-ion battery manufacturers need to understand that they need to make it greener. Also, lithium-ion battery is an important technology and has a great role to play in future, which makes it more important to make it greener. Efforts are made on a global level but they need to fasten. Battery use is one possible solution that all countries must work on. Also if the battery is not capable of carrying out some intense application then it could be used for performing a less intensive application. Also, policymakers need to give incentives for battery reusing or repurposing. Scientists need to think about how materials can be recycled, reused or repurposed and need to design them accordingly. It is only by making this technology greener we can make full use of this technology and thus achieve the target of a low carbon future.