Batteries are vital to ending fossil fuel dependence

Since converting my bike to an electric bike, one of the many pleasures I’ve experienced is watching friends and family discover the thrill of this revolutionary technology, that makes hills disappear and takes the effort out of cycling.

With a battery of just over one kilogram, connected to a motorised wheel, my e-bike powers my hilly, 20-kilometre commute, which takes just over an hour, a little longer than it would take to drive during rush hour. The electricity required to charge the battery is minimal – less than a typical electric shower consumes in two minutes.

Electric bikes could revolutionise transport, if roads are made safer for cyclists. This revolution has been made possible by big strides in battery technology, which has driven down the cost, weight and size of batteries. Batteries are not only essential for powering high-tech smartphones and smart devices. Now, 90 per cent of the global battery market is for the energy sector, mainly for electric vehicles, but increasingly for static energy storage.

Battery costs have fallen by 90 per cent since 2010. They are a cornerstone of the energy transition.

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Batteries facilitate the use of renewable energy by storing wind and solar power during dark and windless periods. This capability has already made solar power generation coupled with battery storage more economical than new coal power plants in India, and over the next few years it is also projected to become competitive with coal in China and gas power in the United States.

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In Ireland, it won’t be long before batteries charged with renewable energy will replace polluting and expensive gas power plants to serve peak evening electricity demand. Strategically placed batteries can also minimise the need for new power lines and reduce wind and solar curtailment – electricity that gets wasted because of congestion in the power grid.

Battery technology is also responsible for the falling costs of electric vehicles, which are a cornerstone of cutting oil demand.

The benefits are not just for the climate. Reducing fossil fuel import dependence will make countries less vulnerable to geopolitical disruption and price volatility. The shift to minerals rather than fossil fuels could create new dependencies – supply chains for minerals like lithium are geographically concentrated – but this supply chain is inherently far less vulnerable than the current trade in fossil fuel.

The energy transition away from fossil fuels requires battery to scale up quickly – and the good news is that it is happening. According to the International Energy Agency, batteries are the fastest-growing clean energy technology on the market.

But the dark side of batteries casts a shadow on the energy transition. The environmental and social impacts of mining minerals like cobalt and lithium are substantial and well-documented.

Recent advancements in battery technology have shown potential for reducing reliance on critical minerals like cobalt

Many environmentalists are concerned that we are swapping one form of resource extraction and exploitation for another, leading some to be lukewarm or even opposed to renewables. Although concerns are valid, the environmental and social impact of mining these minerals must be balanced against the catastrophic and enduring damage caused by fossil fuels.

All forms of extraction cause damage. However, this must be weighed up against the enormous damage from extracting, refining, transporting and burning fossil fuels. Each year around 13 billion tonnes of coal, oil and gas are mined, making up around 40 per cent of goods shipped around the world. And the waste – 37 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution added to the atmosphere each year – is causing irreparable damage to the climate.

In contrast, once battery minerals are mined, they can be reused for many decades. While battery recycling is still in its infancy, it is already profitable, and is capable of recovering more than more than 95 per cent of the minerals. Batteries are simply too valuable to send to landfills. As waste streams develop, the need for newly mined minerals will decrease, significantly reducing the carbon and environmental footprint of battery production.

Recent advancements in battery technology have shown potential for reducing reliance on critical minerals like cobalt. A new generation of batteries based on more abundant minerals like sodium, could replace the need for lithium.

Though the energy transition requires a rapid buildout of new technologies, a parallel focus on managing energy demand is necessary to realise the full potential of climate policy and mitigate the damage from new energy sources. While electric cars are favourable to fossil fuel cars for the climate in nearly all cases, those with smaller batteries cause a lighter footprint on the planet than larger ones. A shared model of car ownership is favourable to private ownership. And electric bikes, buses and trains are favourable to electric cars.

Professor Hannah Daly is professor of sustainable energy at University College Cork