Electrochemical storage systems represent one of the enabling solutions for a sustainable transition of the Italian electricity system, as they make the electricity grid more flexible and more suitable for managing non-programmable renewable sources. However, the production of lithium-ion batteries, the current leading technology, show some critical issues due to energy consumption, carbon dioxide and climate-changing gas emissions, and the use of rare elements. In the prospect of a sustainable development, or ecological transition, it is important to identify electrochemical storage technologies to complement lithium ion-based technologies, especially where there are no particular energy density requirements. Since the first developments of these “alternative” technologies, it has been essential to evaluate their sustainability in a broad sense, both in environmental and economic terms. From this perspective, a life cycle approach appears to be the most correct one to assess environmental and economic impacts, using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) tools.
In this deliverable, the life cycle of sodium batteries, developed as part of RSE activities (coin type cell), has been modeled. An environmental and economic analysis of sodium batteries was developed, comparing these storage systems with equivalent lithium-ion based batteries. A new element that was addressed is the identification of methodologies to compare a pilot or experimental process (the one based on sodium) and an industrial one (based on lithium ions).
The results obtained, in addition to allowing for a comparison between the two supply chains, make it possible to give indications for the environmental improvement of the processes in terms of ecodesign.