Tbilisi lithium energy storage

Are lithium-ion batteries a good choice for energy storage?

Lithium-ion batteries are being widely deployed in vehicles, consumer electronics, and more recently, in electricity storage systems. These batteries have, and will likely continue to have, relatively high costs per kWh of electricity stored, making them unsuitable for long-duration storage that may be needed to support reliable decarbonized grids.

Should lithium processing facilities be built outside China?

The local content requirements and foreign entity of concern restriction in the Clean Vehicle Tax Credit of the US Inflation Reduction Act incentivize the construction of lithium processing facilities outside of China.

How is lithium extracted?

To extract the lithium, brine in underground aquifers is pumped to the surface into a series of evaporation ponds. This process requires a hot and arid climate with considerable space, as the evaporation ponds can be kilometers long, making the Atacama Desert in Chile, for example, an ideal location.