Container-sized batteries are powering the next global energy revolution

[yRaz]

You keep making up "facts" with nothing to back them up. There's an estimated 30 million metric tons of lithium deposits in the US alone - only a few hundred thousand metric tons of Lithium are mined globally each year to supply the global demand.

Lithium isn't rare. Concentrated deposits are not widespread - but that's pretty much the case for any mineral other than 'the big ones' - Iron, Silicon, Aluminum, Copper, etc.

the problem is that noone wants to mine and process it. Lithium is far from rare, it's just rare in certain concentrations.so if we need 100X what phones and EVs need, maybe things like sodium Iron batteries start to make sense

 

[bclaymiles]

the problem is that noone wants to mine and process it.

According to who? That'll come as quite a surprise to the many companies that...mine lithium.

Lithium is far from rare, it's just rare in certain concentrations.

Just as I said.

so if we need 100X what phones and EVs need, maybe things like sodium Iron batteries start to make sense

There's all kinds of alternatives in the lab. Heck, not a week goes by that Techspot doesn't have an article about some new miracle battery...that's XX years away, if ever.

Kidding aside, there is a lot of solid research ongoing. Nevertheless, there's plenty of lithium available right now for batteries - small, large, and infrastructure. But as noted, there are alternatives - Vanadium Redox the furthest along in viability for infrastructure.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

This. PG&E has already begun deploying pilot Vanadium Redox Flow batteries for these very reasons - and importantly, they are 100% non-flammable!

Costing $400-800/kWh, this is the worst option of all. In terms of cost and materials, nothing beats iron air, $20/kWh(Form Energy's), common materials, easily recyclable, the only problem is round-trip efficiency(50-60%).

 

[gamerk2]

There's all kinds of alternatives in the lab. Heck, not a week goes by that Techspot doesn't have an article about some new miracle battery...that's XX years away, if ever.

Probably about 5; Toyota has a solid-state battery they're going to start using in 2027, and most of the competing chemistries to lithium are moving towards production. The engineering work is basically done, it's just a matter of getting to market and scaling production to lower prices.

 

[yRaz]

According to who? That'll come as quite a surprise to the many companies that...mine lithium.

Let me clarify that for you. Noone wants a lithium mine in their backyard. There is lots of bureaucratic red tape surrounding lithium mining. Everyone wants lithium but they don't want to see it near them

 

[airbornex]

The wild twist is that batteries are no longer just a backup plan, they are the traffic cop that lets wind and solar take turns without crashing the grid. People joked about the duck curve for years and California responded by feeding the duck a mega pack of Duracells.

 

[bclaymiles]

Costing $400-800/kWh, this is the worst option of all. In terms of cost and materials, nothing beats iron air, $20/kWh(Form Energy's), common materials, easily recyclable, the only problem is round-trip efficiency(50-60%).

Vanadium redox: mature deployed technology. Iron Air - vaporware, thus far.

 

[bclaymiles]

Let me clarify that for you. Noone wants a lithium mine in their backyard. There is lots of bureaucratic red tape surrounding lithium mining. Everyone wants lithium but they don't want to see it near them

And in what way is this different from mining any other mineral?

 

[WhiteLeaff]

Vanadium redox: mature deployed technology. Iron Air - vaporware, thus far.

Form Energy has multiple projects in the pipeline for installation across the US, on a scale that Vanadium Flow redox will never achieve. Ore Energy is also installing batteries of the same type in Europe, with plans to reach multiple GWh/year.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91215982/in-west-virginia-a-former-steel-mill-is-now-home-to-a-cutting-edge-battery-plant

Ore Energy connects world’s first grid-connected iron-air battery in Delft

The startup’s pilot system, deployed at TU Delft’s Green Village, marks a major milestone for long-duration storage and European energy sovereignty.

tech.eu

 

[yRaz]

And in what way is this different from mining any other mineral?

Zero, "not in my back yard" applies to every mining endeavor. Just because it applies to every mineral doesn't stop it from applying to lithium mining

 

[bclaymiles]

Form Energy has multiple projects in the pipeline for installation across the US, on a scale that Vanadium Flow redox will never achieve. Ore Energy is also installing batteries of the same type in Europe, with plans to reach multiple GWh/year.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91215982/in-west-virginia-a-former-steel-mill-is-now-home-to-a-cutting-edge-battery-plant

Ore Energy connects world’s first grid-connected iron-air battery in Delft

The startup’s pilot system, deployed at TU Delft’s Green Village, marks a major milestone for long-duration storage and European energy sovereignty.

tech.eu

Keywords: "in the pipeline".

Translation: As of today, October 20, 2025, it's vaporware. Wake me when commercial utility power has been relying on it - on-grid - for electrical storage for at least six months uninterrupted. The Delft project hasn't been up on-grid even three months. SDGE has had a vanadium redox installation on-grid since 2018.

I'm not saying that it doesn't have potential, nor that it may not be cost effective over lifetime and even a bag of chips and all that.

SDGE Battery Project Continues to Advance Clean Energy Microgrids

www.eei.org