Battery technology on course to achieve net zero
Short-haul aircraft will be electric by the 2030s as stored power replaces fossil fuels
Reaching net zero with the help of batteries will require less than a third of the world’s critical minerals, analysts found
JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Global demand for batteries is growing fast enough to help to stall climate change by mid-century, a clean energy think tank has found.
An analysis by the Rocky Mountain Institute has found that battery sales have been doubling every two to three years since the 1990s, and are set to increase six to eightfold by 2030. At this rate, the world will have more than enough batteries to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Batteries are a key technology for reducing carbon emissions because they allow vehicles to be powered by stored electricity rather than fossil fuels. They can also store renewable energy, keeping the lights on when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.
The report found that battery sales have been
