advice from StockheadThe world is switching on to alternative...

advice from *
The world is switching on to alternative battery technologies - *
"

• Demand for rechargeable batteries is growing as the use of solar and wind grows
• While lithium-ion batteries are in the lead, other battery types are making waves
• Solid state salt and vanadium flow batteries provide credible alternatives for grid storage

No matter how you look at it, rechargeable batteries are front and centre of the push towards zero emissions, as there is simply no more convenient way that renewable energy can be stored for later use.

While there are certainly other ways of storing energy such as pumped hydro and molten salt, they simply do not have the flexibility that batteries of all stripes bring to the table.

Regardless of their specific chemistry – nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and other lithium-ion batteries can be deployed far quicker and scaled more easily than alternatives.

They can be used for fixed applications – grid or home storage, battery electric vehicles or even small devices such as handphones.

Excluding batteries used in vehicles, devices or homes, the Australian Energy Market Operator has flagged in its Integrated System Plan that Australia will need 19 gigawatts of energy storage capacity in the grid by 2030, with this figure more than doubling to 43GW by 2040.

Batteries will be the key technology, which the Federal Government has recognised with the National Battery Strategy – itself part of the Future Made in Australia policy, which outlines how it will support the domestic battery industry by expanding manufacturing capabilities and improving skills.