"Lithium is an element that historically was not produced industrially in large quantities. As recently as 2000, total world production was under 20,000 tons. It is now several times that and increasing rapidly.
The conversion to electric grids powered by intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar and the conversion of vehicle fleets to electric power will require unprecedented volumes of rechargeable batteries, many of them quite large. Currently available batteries that can be deployed at this kind of scale are mostly based on lithium.
Lithium resources are largely located in remote, fragile ecosystems, many of them quite short of water. Water consumption for lithium production has the potential to divert water needed by populations, many of them very poor, who inhabit these regions."
Read this article by Verónica Morelli, the leader of Sustainable Development Strategies Group's (SDSG) work in the area of lithium supply, and Luke Danielson, president of SDSG and former ASES member...
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Kat Friedrich
Editor in Chief
American Solar Energy Society
Monona WI
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