5 ms·
Do we have carbon neutral batteries yet? Last I saw the production chain for lithium-ion was not carbon neutral over the expected lifetime of the product but ra
by monadic2 6y ago
Do we have carbon neutral batteries yet? Last I saw the production chain for lithium-ion was not carbon neutral over the expected lifetime of the product but rather increased carbon emissions. I’m having a hard time finding numbers to compare with wood pellets or coal, though, so I’m curious if you know.
- icebraining 6y agoHow could a battery be carbon-neutral? What does that even mean? A batter doesn't produce energy, how could it be carbon-neutral by itself?
- monadic2 6y agoBatteries are good for N cycles (to simplify) and take M carbon to produce. If it cycles N times and is charged with fuel that emits <M carbon, that’s going to be a net carbon output surplus. This is expected and desired from solar to have some carbon output as a tradeoff to supply bursts of demand, but needs to be compared with eg a comparable coal plant (or “wood pellet” plant I guess) in order to figure out how much improvement it gives.
- afiori 6y agoIn a grid context the battery produces energy, specifically in that it allows other renewable producers to produce more.