Batteries are at the core of renewable energy because they are needed to offset the intermittency of wind and solar. The problem with batteries from an environmental perspective is that the requisite mining is just as bad as fossil fuel mining and extraction but the the good news is that about 90% of the batteries can be recycled. Initially there will be a lot of mining but as green energy takes over from fossil energy a large enough stock of batteries will exist that most new batteries will be made from old. I expect this transition to take a decade or more.
The most visible transition to green energy is the re-emergence of EVs and the second wave will be battery storage which is in its infancy. The other technologies that have markets abuzz are much less predictable, self driving and robo-taxies for example, and Iām not counting on them for my portfolio.
Tesla is the leader in the transition to green energy and itās at the core of my portfolio.On the periphery Iām using stocks like Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. (LICY) and TuSimple Holdings Inc. (TSP) to generate income via covered calls.
Li-Cycle, Northvolt, and Ganfeng Lithium are among those building recycling plants, spurred by environmental and supply-chain concerns
captainccs Initially there will be a lot of mining but as green energy takes over from fossil energy a large enough stock of batteries will exist that most new batteries will be made from old. I expect this transition to take a decade or more
Given the major advancements being made with batteries and the underlying materials needed to make the new, how can one depend on the usefulness of the older materials? The most ārecentā developments-advancements of lithium-ion technology might be a case in point?
how can one depend on the usefulness of the older materials?
Dunno. Just asking.
The Periodic Table does not change. Iām not saying that mining will disappear, it will be sharply reduced once enough EVs and storage batteries are in use.
According to the EPA, about 80% of the lead and plastic in a lead-acid battery is recycled for reuse. Lead-acid batteries are also closed-loop recycled, which means each part of a battery is recycled into a new battery.
The Toronto company said it would halt work on its Rochester Hub pending completion of a strategic review, including scope and budget. Li-Cycle said it is facing escalating construction costs that exceed prior guidance and is working closely with the US Energy Department concerning its offer of a $375 million loan commitmentā¦
āAs previously disclosed, engineering and procurement for the project are largely complete, with the current focus being on construction activities on site.ā
The parliamentary inquiry is investigating many parts of the transport transition, including electric carsā impact on the electricity grid, opportunities to save fuel, demand for chargers, and battery manufacturing and recycling.
Recycling facilities are already struggling with too few collection points and a lack of guidance and standards about battery recycling, Australian Council of Recycling chief executive Suzanne Toumbourou told the inquiry.
The recycling and the waste sectorsā¦ are in a crisis relating to incorrectly disposed-of batteries that cause fires in all types of facilities,ā she said.
āWe donāt have a sufficient collection system, we donāt have a sufficient extended producer responsibility system for batteries.ā
The nation needs clear rules on battery labelling, transport and disposal, including a ban on dumping them in landfill, before local facilities could break down and process electric vehicle batteries, Ms Toumbourou said.
EU battery recycling industry faces multiple scale-up challenges https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/energy-transition/112824-eu-battery-recycling-industry-faces-multiple-scale-up-challenges With low cobalt and nickel metal prices, slowing EV sales and challenges to recent gigafactory projects, the European lithium-ion battery recycling supply chain is facing a number of headwinds. There was broad agreement that current EU policies are not sufficient to entice established metals players with large balance sheets to invest more deeply in the regionās nascent battery recycling supply chainā¦There was broad agreement that current EU policies [subsidies] are not sufficient to entice established metals players with large balance sheets to invest more deeply in the regionās nascent battery recycling supply chainā¦
āItās not even clear what the prevailing battery chemistry could be in 5-10 years,ā Nils Steinbrecher, managing director of recycler SK TESās European operations, saidā¦Park Soo Chul, managing director at SungEel Hi Tech Europe, which has invested in recycling facilities in Hungary and Poland, said there needs to be a push for government subsidiesā¦Currently, economics for recycling LFPs do not work in Europe, Park saidā¦
Year-to-date registrations of battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales in the EU were down 4.9% year over year in January-October 2024ā¦
āThe disassembly of batteries is a big challenge, and often the technical papers provided by OEMs [for disassembly] are impractical ā itās not commercially viable,ā said Tom Seward, key account director at Ecobat Solutions, which has black mass production facilities in the UK and Germany. āCertain battery packs are designed with no consideration for recyclability or reuse ā itās like if a car got a puncture and youād have to replace the entire car.ā
