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Legions of battery engineers and their supporters have been working to develop batteries that are cheaper than the dominant lithium-ion technology. Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a potential alternative, gaining attention due to COVID-induced mineral supply chain challenges that affected lithium prices. However, a recent study published in Nature Energy suggests that sodium-ion batteries still face significant hurdles before they can become a low-cost competitor.

The study, conducted by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Precourt Institute for Energy and the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center under the new program STEER, evaluated over 6,000 scenarios to assess the competitive potential of sodium-ion batteries. "The price of lithium-ion batteries rose for the first time in 2022, which set off alarms for potentially needing an alternative," said Adrian Yao, lead author of the study and founder of STEER.

Despite their potential advantages in cost and supply chain resilience, sodium-ion batteries currently store less energy per pound compared to lithium-ion batteries. This means that even if material costs are lower, the cost per unit of energy stored remains higher. The study emphasizes that technological advances are necessary for sodium-ion batteries to compete on price with lithium-iron-phosphate variants of lithium-ion batteries.

Key areas for development include increasing energy densities without relying on critical minerals like nickel. "Our primary objective was not predicting specific years for when we expect price parity but in surfacing the impacts of various market scenarios on the viability of competing technologies," said William Chueh, co-director of STEER.

Sally Benson, another co-director of STEER, highlighted that industry engagement was crucial throughout their research process. Feedback from practitioners involved in rechargeable battery production was solicited to ensure industrial relevance.

The study also explored how market forces could affect sodium-ion's competitiveness with lithium-ion. For instance, if current low lithium prices persist, sodium-ion will have fewer pathways to become cost-effective within the next decade.

STEER plans to apply its approach to other technology areas such as long-duration energy storage and industrial decarbonization. The team aims to identify paths with high chances of contributing to the energy transition while avoiding those unlikely to succeed.

For further information or media inquiries about this study or related topics, contact Mark Golden at Stanford University’s Precourt Institute for Energy.