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Environment

Salt batteries are finally shaping up – that's good for the planet

With lithium in short supply, sodium-ion batteries might offer cheap energy storage with less environmental impact

By James Dinneen

26 November 2024

Sodium-ion batteries could have advantages over those containing lithium

Juan Roballo/Shutterstock

The following is an extract from our climate newsletter Fix the Planet. Find out about our range of newsletters and sign up here.

The clean energy revolution depends on batteries, but almost all the batteries we use today are made from lithium, a metal with a limited supply and a devastating environmental impact. Could we replace it with something more readily available?

×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ published a feature story about batteries made using common salt back in January 2021. These sodium-ion versions promised a cheaper alternative to those made of…

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