1. How lithium carbonate/hydroxide is produced and what is the fuel source in the kilns - i.e it is often diesel or gas that fires the kilns. The key in the kiln process is ensuring a consistent heat - any variability you impact the lithium chemicals produced. The kiln you end up using and heating source is also dependent on coarseness and particle size within your 6% grade concentrate - coarse versus fines. This article provides an ok explanation: https://www.flsmidth.com/en-gb/discover/mining-2019/kiln-vs-flash-calciner
I don't think it is a question of power source in the kilns, it seems to me to be more around heat stability and consistent heat stability that is the key in the kilns, as variations in temperature, even by a 5 - 10 degrees will impact the end product. Also detailed in this article: https://feeco.com/the-role-of-the-calciner-in-the-extraction-of-lithium-from-spodumene/
2. How much electricity is required to produce a tonne of LCE equivalent.
Energy is one of the largest costs in the production process for hydroxide. To produce 1 tonne of hydroxide requires 8 MWh to 14 MWh of power, depending on how you do the calcs. I went through these calcs in this post in another lithium stock although the calcs are related to power requirements in general using published hydroxide studies (Post #: 40107095) That is a lot of power is required to produce hydroxide - a typical household in Australia consumes annually 7000 kWh electricity, refer: https://electricitywizard.com.au/electricity/electricity-cost/how-much-does-electricity-cost/ . To produce just one tonne of hydroxide, by the looks of it, is equivalent to keeping the power on all year round for around 1 Australian home. What does 1 tonne of hydroxide give you so you get a guage as to what it is: depending on battery size only 17 to 25 EVs. If others have better calcs time to fess up.
3. How much electricity is required to produce solar panels or recharge say 1000 EV. I'll let yourselves work that out for yourselves
Whilst, gas has a carbon footprint, it is much less than coal btw and gas should be viewed as a transition fuel to a 'carbon free economy', but you'll never get a carbon free economy btw because of the input needs in a number of production processes (without significant production improvements and reliability in base load options supplied by renewables). It is why China is buying Australian metalurgical coal, thermal coal and gas btw, because some production processes are not amenable to another energy source, but obviously you can remove gas/thermal coal in electricity generation itself on the proviso reliability and cost of electricity reduces with renewables (which it is doing btw). The fact China keeps on buying Australian LNG and thermal coal used in electricity generation (whilst gas is also used in industrial processes - like kilns) suggests renewables still have a little way to go to supply reliable/secure/cheap base load options.
What will help reduce power generation carbon footprint, is the use of battery energy storage options in the stationary market - lithium or vanadium batteries. That is a market for lithium - household energy storage in particular - that I think is under-estimated in the growing lithium demand market IMO
Therefore, maybe ask Elon next time any of you see him LOL, what is the power source in his gigafactories and what is the power source in producing LCE before idiolising him further. He is a smart man indeed, but don't fall for everything he says. Here you go on the man himself - ask him where his cobalt is coming from for his gigafactories in Shanghai and the one proposed in Berlin btw: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/16/tesla-glencore-cobalt-gigafactory.html
All IMO IMO IMO IMO
LTR Price at posting:
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