Fostering the development of an industrial supply chain that exploits the potential of sodium-ion batteries to ensure Europe’s independence from risks associated to the supply and price of raw materials. This was the objective of the event ‘Materials for Electrochemical Storage in Sodium-ion Batteries,’ organized by RSE under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and Regione Lombardia, which took place on February 15 in Milan, at the Testori Auditorium of Palazzo Lombardia, and which gathered a large, attentive and participating audience.

After institutions’ greetings by Armando De Crinito, General Director of Economic Development of Regione Lombardia, the technical sessions began, moderated by Omar Perego, Project Manager of RSE’s Generation Technologies and Materials Department, with speakers from research institutions and universities: Claudia Paoletti, researcher at Enea; Claudio Gerbaldi, professor at the Politecnico di Torino; Concetta Busacca, researcher at CNR [Italian National Research Council]; Cristina Tealdi, professor at the Università di Pavia; researcher Chiara Ferrara and professor Riccardo Ruffo from Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca; and researchers Stefano Marchionna, Mehdi Soleimanzade and Irene Quinzeni from RSE.

The analyses conducted and reported by RSE and its partners show that the development of an advantageous and competitive industrial supply chain, in terms of environmental and economic sustainability, is possible. Sodium-ion batteries are a viable alternative to the established lithium-ion battery technology for applications in stationary storage, such as home self-consumption and grid services, and for its use in mobility.

“The main advantage of sodium-ion technology is that it offers an opportunity for sustainability through the use of non-critical materials, starting with sodium, an element that is abundant and distributed in nature, unlike lithium, which is on the list of Critical Raw Materials drawn up by the European Commission based on the risk of supply and the economic importance of the material,” explained Omar Perego.

The discussion then continued with a panel discussion moderated by Luigi Mazzocchi, Manager of RSE’s Generation Technologies and Materials Department, who encouraged a dialogue with companies operating in the markets of materials production, cell manufacturing and battery assembly, as well as in the cell production line manufacturing and materials recycling sectors. Speakers at the panel discussion were Marco Avataneo, Syensqo (formerly Solvay); Paolo Bellesi, Midac Batteries; Lorenzo Orsini, Alkeemia; Stefano Saguatti, Manz Italy; Federico Vitali, FAAM; and Carlo Bianchessi, Regione Lombardia.

All agreed on the need to direct substantial resources toward research and development sectors so as to foster progress and innovation in Italian companies and the country. While it is understood that Italian companies in the sector are rapidly investing in production capacity according to established technologies, there is a consensus that we should simultaneously look to the most promising innovations for the future, and sodium ion technology is considered as the main option. In such a scenario, institutions in the territory play an important role; in the case of Lombardy, there are several current and future possibilities that the Region makes available through its calls for proposals aimed at companies, foundations and associations which want to collaborate, aggregate and work synergistically and more generally receive investments to innovate products and processes.

“Investing in applied research projects and promoting the continuous training of qualified professionals are the pillars for building a robust and competitive industrial system. It is important that, in view of this development, we facilitate the transfer of research results to companies, as a key element for the establishment of Italian industry leadership,” added Luigi Mazzocchi.

The last session of the day and the conclusions were entrusted to Franco Cotana, RSE Managing Director, who emphasized the relevance of trust and synergy between the state, institutions and the world of industry, recalling that Italy is the cradle of innovation.

Speakers included Luca Squeri, 10th Commission for Productive Activities, Commerce and Tourism of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Elena Colombo, Director of the Energy Resources Organizational Unit of the Regione Lombardia, and Stefano Raimondi, General Director for Energy Incentives, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.

One of the messages conveyed was the common commitment to promote innovation and competitiveness each through the tools available, being aware that research needs continuity to identify and develop solutions that are useful to the country system and qualify it also in the international arena.

“Also on this occasion RSE played the role of facilitator and catalyst of the debate among the sector stakeholders, sharing the results of its research activities and promoting an open dialogue. We warmly welcome the interest of Regione Lombardia and its commitment to initiatives supporting the development of companies involved in the battery value chain in the territory. I would also like to thank the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the political world for their constant focus on innovation, in which RSE is a major actor,” said Franco Cotana.

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