Salt to Power: How Sodium-Ion Batteries Can Supercharge Europe’s Green Goals

In addressing global challenges in both security and sustainability, the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) establishes ambitious objectives for a more sustainable and self-sufficient Europe, but something is missing: sodium.

The Act aims for the EU to produce at least 10%, process at least 40%, and recycle at least 25% of the total critical raw materials the Union consumes by 2030. Furthermore, it caps the amount of strategic raw materials the EU can source from a single nation at 65%.

Yet, the path to a stronger, more sustainable Europe is strewn with hurdles, one of which is presented in the importance of a steady supply of lithium, currently a key component in battery production. The social and environmental issues connected to lithium mining are well-known, and attempts at expanding Europe’s domestic lithium industry have so far been met with fierce opposition.

Are we doomed to pick our poison: remaining dependent on imports or creating our own domestic socio-ecological pitfall? Perhaps, while not listed as a CRM, one alternative exists that might help the EU achieve its green transition goals: sodium.

Sodium: A Comparative Advantage?

Of its total consumption, the EU imports 81% of its extracted lithium and 100% of its processed lithium. Looking at the EU’s current mining potential combined with the momentum brought about by the CRMA, the Union could be as much as 50% self-sufficient with lithium by 2030, bolstering the development of independent European battery production.

However, the potential of a sodium-ion battery boom is looming on the horizon, casting a veil of uncertainty over the EU’s lithium vision. Sodium-ion batteries offer several advantages over their lithium-ion counterparts: the far superior abundance, cost-effectiveness, and reduced safety risks of sodium are just a few examples. Not only has sodium been estimated to be about one thousand times more abundant than lithium, but a finished sodium-ion battery is expected to be available for as little as a third of the cost of an average lithium-ion battery. Fittingly, Europe is currently self-sufficient in salt, placing it among the top three largest salt-producing regions in the world.

More important, however, is the fact that sodium has the potential to be sourced and processed more sustainably and ethically than lithium. Lithium is typically sourced in ways that heavily impact humans and animals alike while contributing to deforestation, soil degradation, and water contamination and depletion. Additionally, lithium-ion batteries use critical raw materials like cobalt and copper, two minerals that have been associated with serious cases of child labour and significant environmental impacts during their mining process.

Not only do sodium-ion batteries exclude the need for CRMs like copper and cobalt, but sodium can also be extracted with methods that save significant amounts of time, money, and socio-ecological impacts. Sodium can be extracted from both mining and evaporated seawater, and the manufacturing of sodium-ion batteries relies mainly on methods (like the Solvay process) and compounds (like Sodium Ash) that are accessible more or less across the entire globe.

Energising Independence

Lithium-ion batteries have a great capacity for storing energy in small spaces, which is beneficial if the goal is to make lighter smartphones and faster, long-range EVs. Sodium-ion batteries, however, can store large amounts of energy at a lower cost, which is great news for homes and tools relying less on weight and speed for their attractiveness. Moreover, experts have predicted that sodium-ion battery technology could become a competitor to lithium in the short-range EV market.

So, while not yet the ideal candidate for long-range EV batteries, sodium-ion batteries have a key strength in their suitability for stationary energy storage and thus stand as a promising addition to the future of a well-powered Europe.

That being said, other challenges remain in the sodium-ion battery sector that need to be addressed for the technology to reach its full potential in Europe and beyond. For the time being, these include the lack of integrated recycling systems for sodium-ion batteries, infrastructure for sodium-ion battery production in Europe, market access in a sector heavily dominated by the lithium industry, and access to funding for the initial research, development, and scaling needed. Another key challenge is the fact that Asia, and China in particular, is leading significantly ahead of Europe, not only in the sodium industry but also when it comes to sodium-ion battery research and development.

Although these challenges remain, the sodium industry is predicted to grow significantly. The sodium-ion battery technology is advancing, and rapid progress is being made worldwide in addressing its limitations. For example, the prospects of easily utilising existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing infrastructure for sodium-ion production provide a significant advantage, as it creates the basis for quick acceleration and commercialisation of sodium technology on EU soil.

Several recent European sodium-ion battery initiatives have attempted to harness this potential, such as the EU-funded SIMBA project or the cross-European NAIMA project. Batt4EU’s 2024 Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), outlined by the European Commission, is another piece in the puzzle of Europe’s burgeoning efforts to enter the battery game, with potentials mapped out for several different battery alternatives and sodium being highlighted as a promising avenue for sustainable European growth. While there are many examples of European initiatives exploring the battery world generally, and the sodium potential specifically, there are still hurdles to overcome and significant advancements to be made.

By investing more firmly in the research, development, and manufacturing capabilities needed for sodium-ion batteries, the EU can position itself as a global hub for sustainable battery technology, creating jobs, driving economic growth, and solidifying its position as a leader in the green transition.

In other words, sodium-ion battery production can become a promising driver in the EU’s green transition ambitions, considering the Union’s growing need for a stable and reliable supply of renewable energy, but it will require thoughtful and deliberate investments.

The CRMA creates a solid roadmap for increased European security, independence and sustainability by focusing on domestic production, processing, and recycling of materials such as lithium. However, while increasing reliable access to lithium is a key part of the sustainability puzzle as it looks today, the Act does not adequately consider the social and environmental downsides to increased reliance on lithium. Meanwhile, existing initiatives and frameworks like the SRIA emphasise the great potential of sodium-ion technology in the EU’s future battery adventures. However, a sodium-specific EU strategy is not yet present. Alongside its lithium ambitions, Europe would benefit from a more detailed, actionable sodium strategy to navigate the sustainable transition in all its complexity and enable the EU to reach its full potential as a green global leader. The said strategy should, as a baseline, ensure:

• Long-term, substantial funding for research and development in the European sodium-ion battery industry;
• Strengthened funding for the academic and practical education of existing and emerging workforces in Europe’s alternative battery sphere;
• The prioritisation of the establishment and/or improvement of sodium-ion battery manufacturing facilities on European soil;
• A roadmap for promoting the adoption of sodium-ion batteries through awareness campaigns and consumption incentives.

Sodium-ion batteries have the potential to emerge as a key driving force behind the EU’s green transition, offering a more sustainable, ethical, and secure alternative to lithium-ion battery technology. By embracing this potential, the EU can not only reduce its reliance on critical raw materials in general but also position itself as a global leader in the development and deployment of cutting-edge energy solutions.