The energetic implications of introducing lithium-ion batteries into distributed photovoltaic systems

Abstract

Batteries for stationary applications can prove to be crucial for enabling high penetration of solar energy, but production and use of batteries comes with an energetic cost.

Material and energy requirements of transport electrification

“…Only two original studies, Barnhart and Benson§§Other studies such as Pellow et al (2015) 194 and Sgouridis et al (2019) 195 derive/take their estimates from this original estimate. 54 (LCO) and Kurland and Benson 55 (LFP) have estimated the ESOI of Li-ion batteries in the literature. However, both studies focused on the back-up stationary storage for renewables instead of electric transportation.…”

“…Barnhart and Benson 54 found a ESOI of 32 : 1 (defined as final/final) 56 for LCO batteries, which however are in reality used in electronics such as cell phones and laptops due to the very high specific energy, being less than ideal for EV applications due to their short lifespans, limited thermal stability and low specific power. 32 Kurland and Benson 2019 55 analysed a PV generation system coupled with a grid-connected LFP battery storage system on dwellings finding a range of 8–28 : 1 ESOI depending on the size of the battery and the location of the case study. However, we must note that this work represents an overestimation since it does not take into account the infrastructure necessary for the operation of the batteries.…”