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A new report says sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), made from abundant materials, could help India to reduce its dependence on imports to meet its energy storage needs.
SIBs offer India a chance to build a domestic energy storage ecosystem due to its abundant raw materials compared to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), according to a report from the UK-India bilateral program ASPIRE, led by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in collaboration with Indias Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. KPMG served as the programs lead adviser.
The report highlights India’s position as the third-largest producer of sodium chloride globally, contributing 10% of global salt production in 2021, along with its capacity to produce key SIB materials like iron ore, manganese ore, phosphates, and sulfur. Combined with a reduced reliance on critical minerals like cobalt, these factors make SIBs a promising option for India’s projected need for 41.7 GW/208 GWh of battery energy storage systems by 2030, according to the Central Electricity Authority.
The report says SIBs are suitable for grid-scale storage applications due to their competitive lifecycle, enhanced safety, and lower costs compared to LIBs. They can address key grid applications like resource adequacy, transmission congestion relief, energy arbitrage, and renewable energy firming. SIBs’ manufacturing process is similar to LIBs, allowing production lines to transition with minimal changes, while declining costs over the next decade are expected to make them 15–20% cheaper than LIBs by 2030.
“By 2030, SIBs are expected to achieve costs that are 15-20% lower than those of LIBs, making them increasingly competitive for various applications,” states the report.
The report recommends policy measures to support SIB adoption, including integrating SIBs into India’s energy storage framework through round-the-clock renewable energy tenders, a production-linked incentive scheme for advanced chemistry cells, energy storage obligations within renewable purchase mandates, and viability gap funding for storage projects.
Collaboration between India and the United Kingdom could accelerate SIB development through joint research, business partnerships, scaled manufacturing, and sharing policy best practices. UK-based SIB companies include AMTE Power and LiNa Energy, while Indian firms such as Indi Energy, KPIT Technologies, and Sodion Energy are already active in the sector. |
