Assessment of lithium criticality in the global energy transition and addressing policy gaps in transportation

TLDR

The forthcoming global energy transition requires a shift to new and renewable technologies, which increase the demand for related materials. This study investigates the long‑term availability of lithium in the event of significant demand growth of rechargeable lithium‑ion batteries for supplying the power and transport sectors with very‑high shares of renewable energy. A comprehensive assessment that uses 18 scenarios, created by combining 8 demand‑related variations with 4 supply conditions, was performed. Li is critical to achieve a sustainable energy transition, and a balanced supply and demand throughout the century depends on well‑established recycling systems, vehicle‑to‑grid integration, and lower‑Li‑intensity transportation services, underscoring the need for a concerted global effort to enforce the identified policy mix.

Abstract

Abstract The forthcoming global energy transition requires a shift to new and renewable technologies, which increase the demand for related materials. This study investigates the long-term availability of lithium (Li) in the event of significant demand growth of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for supplying the power and transport sectors with very-high shares of renewable energy. A comprehensive assessment that uses 18 scenarios, created by combining 8 demand related variations with 4 supply conditions, were performed. Here this study shows that Li is critical to achieve a sustainable energy transition. The achievement of a balanced Li supply and demand throughout this century depends on the presence of well-established recycling systems, achievement of vehicle-to-grid integration, and realisation of transportation services with lower Li intensity. As a result, it is very important to achieve a concerted global effort to enforce a mix of policy goals identified in this study.