ELBC 2022: EDITORIAL Mike Halls • editor@batteriesinternational.com
Always winter but never Christmas A rising tide lifts all boats. In recent years that’s been the fundamental proposition justifying a promised boom for the lead battery business. Demand will be such for energy storage, people say, that no one chemistry will be able to satisfy all our needs — all battery technologies will rise on this tide of demand. The basis for this thinking at least is logical. But only in part. Yes, climate change is real. The world needs to decarbonize rapidly. As fossil fuels are replaced with renewable sources of power such as wind or solar, the need to bridge intermittency, when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun shine, will be ever greater. Energy storage will become the new pillar supporting modern society. Batteries will be an essential for transportation, the home, the electrical grid. Everything.
will be valued in the billions of dollars but what percentage of them, at the moment, have lead batteries? Less than 2%. Lithium batteries easily make up the balance. And in the US, which leads the world in the adoption of renewables, battery sales for ESS is firmly being placed with lithium buyers. This is the moment — and ELBC is the venue for us to discuss this — when we need to hear the truth of the matter. For the last five years the standard lead policy line is that we’ll be absolutely vital in the future. But for those of us still caught in midwinter of sales of not spectacular growth, the promise of Christmas seems a long way off. Mike Halls, Editor
But this is where the thinking starts to break down. What if demand for energy storage is not as strong as some people are predicting? What if the electromobility revolution stalls and EV uptake is limited? Most estimates for our energy needs are looking achievable. Analysts’ forecasts continue to show double digit growth for lithium batteries and single growth for lead ones. The huge electrical grid markets of the future www.batteriesinternational.com
Batteries International • ELBC 2022 Show Guide • Summer 2022 • 1
