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Circular Economy and Renewable Energy: The Role of Safe and Sustainable Stewardship of Batteries
Citation:
Sahle-Demessie, E. Circular Economy and Renewable Energy: The Role of Safe and Sustainable Stewardship of Batteries. Presented at American Earth Science Week, organized by American Geosciences Institute, Cincinnati, OH, October 11 - 14, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
High-capacity long-life battery storage is fundamental for successful renewable energy sector growth. How these batteries are designed, used, and managed at the end-of-life will define their environmental impact for generations to come. Creating a circular economy for batteries is crucial to prevent one of the solutions to the current environmental crisis becoming the cause of another. To ensure that batteries are used to their full potential, recycled and don’t become landfill waste or fire risk collaboration is needed across industries, between businesses and policymakers.
Description:
Electrical energy powers our lives. Lack of access to energy supplies and transformation systems constrain social and economic development. The United Nations Development Goal 7 Ensures access to affordable, reliable, sustainable modern energy. Clean and renewable energy sources are growing at a fast rate. However, renewable energy sources are intermittent, meaning that they need the support of batteries to store clean energy for use when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing. Batteries can be used to store significant amounts of energy from solar and wind power, making it possible to reduce the use of fossil fuels and move us to a circular economy. Lithium-ion batteries are lightweight, rechargeable, and powerful batteries that are now used for many applications, including mobile phones, laptops, electric vehicles, and industrial energy storage. Lithium-ion batteries exhibit several desirable characteristics that make them the preferred choice for many rechargeable devices. However, lithium-ion batteries are currently designed and sold in ways that are difficult to repair, remanufacture, and recycle. Federal agencies are working on the issues of fire hazards related to lithium-ion batteries. Various factors, including cell design, fabrication, state of charge, and temperatures, significantly influence the cell’s electrochemical and safety performances. Federal agencies are collaborating to develop policies on the issues of fire hazards related to Li-B and their sustainable stewardship. Various factors, including cell design, fabrication, state of charge, and temperatures, significantly influence the cell’s electrochemical and safety performances. Multiple strategies are needed to mitigate safety hazards before thermal runaway events can be avoided during transport, collection, storage, and material recovery facilities.