Renewable energy, mainly from the wind and the sun, is bringing us closer to a more sustainable world. However, as Emily Rodriquez points out, we need to be aware of peripheral issues surrounding the key battery material, lithium. The young intern of a Texas County judge, inspired us to write again about the secret life of lithium batteries.
Growing Concern Over The Secret Life of Lithium Batteries
Lithium is an essential component in many high-density batteries, playing a role in tapping electrical energy from the wind and the sun. However, accessing this relatively rare earth metal presents often-overlooked, but serious environmental and safety hazards, that concern the young intern.
Rodriquez brings some of her concerns to the fore, in an article she wrote in North Texas e-News. The first of these issues relates to the battery energy storage systems (BESS), that are proliferating worldwide at an unprecedented rate
These BESS systems are essential for the success of unpredictable solar and wind energy, because they are able to store and deliver that energy predictably. And this is essential in a world where consumers expect their electricity to be available to them, the instant they want it.
Safety And Environmental Protection Must Remain a Priority
We ought not to overlook the fact, Rodriquez continues, that lithium in rechargeable batteries ‘is not without its risks’. This core element can cause serious damage to the environment, if we allow it to enter our physical world.
This is particularly true where spent lithium batteries are stored in landfill sites, where they corrode and release toxic materials. BESS systems, as we have seen recently, can also catch fire and release toxic fumes into our atmosphere.
Of course, none of these things should happen, when technology catches up with the huge volume of lithium batteries. We must remain conscious of this secret life of lithium batteries at all times. Safety and environmental protection must remain a priority, as Rodriquez points out strongly.
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