Li-ion cells

Live fire tests aim to demonstrate physical containment technology.

Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, powering everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles, residential PV storage systems, and, more recently, mitigating curtailment in large-scale wind and solar power plants. EVs are driving large-scale demand for Li-ion batteries which will result in substantial volumes of spent batteries in the near future. This scenario highlights the potential for repurposing EV batteries for second-life stationary applications, which could maximise their value before recycling. However, to fully realise this opportunity, several economic, technical, and regulatory challenges must be addressed and resolved.

Experts speaking at the upcoming NetZero Milan Expo-Summit 2025 have told pv magazine that lithium’s rising competitiveness is pressuring emerging chemistries like sodium-ion, as the market shifts from incremental gains to larger cells that could reshape enclosure design.

The BC Jindal Group has unveiled plans to invest INR 15,000 crore by 2030 to establish multigigawatt-scale manufacturing capacities for solar cells and modules, battery cells and packs, and solar glass.

Scientists in Spain have simulated the combination of power-to-heat-to-power storage systems with lithium-ion batteries to supply energy needs and heat pump production of an electrified dwelling. PV self-consumption was found to increase by up to 20% and levelized cost of energy decrease by 7%.

The opening of Ecobat’s new facility is just one of many indicators that U.S. battery recycling is on the rise.

Rather than viewing battery recycling as waste management, it should be reframed as an economic and industrial opportunity. Advanced recycling techniques can recover up to 95% of lithium, cobalt, and nickel, reducing India’s reliance on raw material imports.

A new study examines the current status of lithium-ion battery consumption, and challenges and opportunities in the Indian recycling landscape.

Epic Energy has entered a ten-year licensing agreement with the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) for recycling of end-of-life lithium batteries (excluding lithium ferro phosphate batteries) using a hydrometallurgical process.

Researchers in Germany have compared the electrical behaviour of sodium-ion batteries with that of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries under varying temperatures and state-of-charges. Their work shows how state-of-charge during cycling significantly affects the efficiency of sodium-ion devices.