Charged up
Down To Earth|February 16, 2022
Battery makers are moving beyond lithium to power India's clean energy ambitions
ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY
Charged up
INDUSTRIALIST MUKESH Ambani, chairperson and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd, ended 2021 on a high note by acquiring UK-based battery technology firm Faradion Limited for £100 million (approximately ₹1,001 crore). His refining-to-retail conglomerate has placed its bets Faradion's sodium-ion batteries to realise its goal of setting up four gigafactories on in the country to manufacture solar panels, electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. More than a business strategy, the deal indicates a changing trend in India's battery technology ecosystem.

The battery technology industry has seen a rapid growth in recent years as countries increasingly switch to clean-powered electric mobility. Currently across the world, four types of batteries are in use: lead acid, lithium-ion (including variants), nickel-metal hydride and vanadium ion batteries. While lead acid and lithium-ion batteries are the only two currently available in the Indian market, several other technologies like vanadium redox, metal-air, metal-ion and liquid metal batteries are also being explored for application across sectors.

Parveen Kumar, senior programme manager, Electric Mobility at the World Resources Institute, a global research non-profit, tells Down To Earth (DTE) that four factors determine whether a new battery technology disrupts the market-energy density (amount of charge in a unit area), cost, safety (health impacts, flammability and explosiveness) and sustainability (including global availability).

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