Read the full story at Solar Power World.
Although still very much in its infancy, the U.S. utility-scale battery storage market has existed in earnest since 2011 led by one dominant battery chemistry choice: lithium. According to data through 2021 from the U.S. EIA, 97.95% of utility-scale batteries installed in the United States were lithium-based. While there are significant battery projects in the works (the country currently has 9 GW of utility-scale batteries under operation and a 26.4-GW construction pipeline), the lion’s share will still be lithium-ion, due to its early acceptance and established installation codes.
But lithium is by no means the only available option. Other battery technologies — whether metal-, sodium- or flow-based — are elbowing their way into the conversation. For large-scale developers concerned about both the climate-threatened world and increasingly stretched supply chains, domestically produced lithium alternatives are becoming more attractive.
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