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Lithium and the battery storage revolution
Energy storage is a critical part of our transition to 100% clean energy. It is now possible to store solar and wind power in large scale batteries, and distribute it when the sun does not shine nor bloweth the wind.
Battery storage is next going to disrupt the power sector, just as it has telecoms, computing and cars.
And a key component in new battery technology?
Lithium
My Chevy Volt, your Macbook and that iPhone you’re reading on right now — all powered by lithium ion batteries. Andrew Beebe describes lithium as the new silicon.
We know that battery storage is an essential part of our transition to 100% clean energy.
And we know that lithium may be the essential element for the battery storage revolution (although other batteries may come to challenge the current dominance of lithium-based chemistries — more on that soon).
So, how can we ensure the conscientious use of this finite resource?
Well, that’s one of the reasons why the California Clean Energy Fund is backing LILAC Solutions.
Lithium is a metallic element that needs to be extracted from the earth, much like copper and aluminium.
Lithium is found naturally in high altitude salt brines in places such as Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. One of the main ways we get lithium, for our cars and computers and such, is through an evaporation and extraction process.
Salt brines are pumped into expansive evaporative ponds to first allow the water to separate from the salt. A chemical process is then used to separate the lithium leaving the salt behind.
The extraction process can take two years to complete and only extracts about 50% of the lithium present.
The extraction process is costly and environmental damaging, but it is also inefficient with so much of the metal lost during processing.
LILAC Solutions has developed a new a lithium extraction which uses ion exchange technology.
This technology can streamline the extraction process and boosts lithium recovery. All of which will help to ensure that we maximise our use of a finite resource and minimize the environmental impact. ✅
The California Clean Energy Fund is here to help entrepreneurs like LILAC Solutions. We are supporting entrepreneurs to scale groundbreaking ideas that will fast track our transition to 100% clean energy.
