Lithium Valley & Next Generation Battery Power
Moderator: V. John White, Executive Director, CEERT
Panel:
Ryan E. Kelley, Supervisor, District 4, Imperial County California
Jonathan Weisgall, VP of Government Affairs, Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Patrick F Dobson, Geothermal Systems Program Lead, Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab
Cecilia Estolano, CEO, Better World Group
Energy storage has long vexed engineers interested in a sustainable future. Lithium-ion technology has changed our energy storage capabilities, with one BloombergNEF study showing that global stationary storage capacity is expected to rise from 10 gigawatt-hours to 770 by 2030. Despite this rise, annual installation for stationary storage will remained dwarfed by battery demand from passenger electric vehicles which BloombergNEF estimates will account for 80% of annual battery demand in 2030. Still, lithium-ion technology has its limitations, namely in the raw materials it uses and their eventual disposal. Some automakers believe it may never have the capacity and financial viability necessary to power long-distance electric vehicles. What does the future hold for battery innovation and how might this already growing market adapt over the coming years? Several experts sit down to discuss this issue.