Northvolt's Renewable Energy Revolution Is Here
Northvolt's Renewable Energy Revolution Is Here
A Western cost-effective and ecological solution for mass energy storage.
Battery technology might not be that sexy. Indeed, whenever I try to talk to people about how vital they are, I see their eyes gloss over, despite how fundamentally it will change their lives. They are the linchpin of our plans to save the planet, from EVs to colossal grid-level renewable energy storage batteries. If you care about the planet we live on, you should be damn excited about the developments in this often hidden industry. One of the most promising leaders in the burgeoning sector, not only in terms of technology and cost but also eco-friendliness and independence, is Northvolt. This revolutionary Swedish battery startup recently announced a ground-breaking new battery that promises to revolutionise the renewable industry and help save us from our self-made apocalypse.
This battery isn’t lithium-based, like those powering your laptop, phone or EV. Instead, it is a sodium-ion battery. They work in a similar way, but the two are very different. Sodium-ion is far more environmentally friendly, as it requires less toxic or rare raw materials than lithium-ion. Furthermore, the materials it does need, such as carbon, iron and sodium, are far more widely available, less energy-intensive to source, and less environmentally damaging to source. These cells are also inherently far more robust, as they aren’t as temperature sensitive and don’t have the fire risk associated with lithium cells. This gives them a lifespan far greater than lithium-ion, sometimes as much as three times the charge cycles of high-end lithium cells. Again, this increases their eco credentials, as their lifespan carbon emissions will be far, far lower, thanks to not having to manufacture replacement cells. This robustness also helps them charge super quickly; some can charge from 0% to 100% in as little as 8 minutes! Currently, no commercially available lithium-ion cells can match that. On top of this, sodium-ion cells are far cheaper than lithium-ion cells, potentially costing half as much as equivalent lithium-ion cells!
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But sodium-ion chemistry isn’t perfect. It typically has less than half the energy density of lithium-ion! Now, this isn’t a massive problem for applications where their ultra-fast charge rate can mitigate this issue, but for many applications, such as for devices and larger EVs, this limitation renders sodium-ion unusable. However, this hasn’t stopped manufacturers like CATL and BYD from developing EV-specific high-energy density sodium-ion batteries.
But, while Northvolt has made a name for itself as one of the few entirely Western-based EV battery manufacturers, it isn’t planning on using its sodium-ion cells for cars. Instead, it is specifically designed for renewable grid storage.
You see, renewables like solar and wind aren’t like other forms of energy. You can simply turn up a coal power plant or nuclear reactor to meet energy demand. But, as the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, the peak power production of renewables doesn’t always align with peak power demand. So, in order to enable our energy grids to run off more renewables, we need to find a way to capture the vast amount of excess energy renewables produce during off-peak sunny and windy times, so we can deploy it during cloudy and breathless peak power demand times. This is the market Northvolt wants to target with its new battery, as this application is perfect for the not-so-energy-dense, super cheap, super long-lasting, super safe and super eco-friendly sodium-ion cells.
That being said, Northvolt’s sodium-ion cells are still incredibly energy-dense at 160 Wh/kg. That is the same energy density as the LFP cells Tesla uses in its base spec models, and the same as CATL’s and BYD’s upcoming sodium-ion cells. As such, it isn’t surprising that Northvolt has said that while its current sodium-ion cells are only for energy storage, the next generation of its sodium-ion cells will be designed for EV use.
But something massive sets Northvolt’s sodium-ion batteries apart from the others. It’s internal chemistry and how Northvolt sources its materials.
You see, other sodium-ion batteries with this density use anode-free designs. This lightens the battery and can reduce the material needed, making them more energy-dense and cheaper. But their lifespan can be significantly shortened, robustness reduced, and charge speeds reduced.
Northvolt doesn’t do this. Instead, it uses a carbon anode and a Prussian White-based cathode. Prussian white has historically been used as a pigment for paints and alike, but it has remarkable potential in sodium-ion cells, as it can absorb a truly staggering amount of sodium-ions. Theoretically, Prussian white cathodes can reach energy densities of up to 170 Wh/kg. Moreover, it is incredibly stable, allowing these cells to have far longer lifespans and faster charging speeds.
This also makes the anode and cathode materials of Northvolt’s sodium-ion cells incredibly sustainable. Northvolt already has the technology to create carbon anodes from wood, making them more sustainable to source and have lower manufacturing emissions than typical anode designs. Prussian white is composed of sodium, manganese, iron, carbon and nitrogen, all easily sourced with little environmental damage compared to the cobalt-rich cathodes of lithium-ion. Moreover, Prussian white is incredibly easy to recycle, making the end-of-life process of these cells far easier and more energy efficient.
Northvolt already has a plant under development (in the West) that can supply them with enough Prussian white to manufacture 1 GW of sodium cells annually. So, hopefully, production of this fantastic cell can be ramped up incredibly quickly.
This leads me to possibly the most crucial thing about Northvolt’s sodium-ion battery. All of these materials can be, and will most likely be, sourced for Europe. In fact, Northvolt’s current battery lineup uses as many European materials as possible. Compare that to almost all other battery manufacturers that rely on foreign cobalt and nickel or who manufacture in China.
This reliance on China poses a significant risk for any battery-dependent climate technology. Tensions between China and the West are rising, and the international battery materials market is incredibly volatile. The West can’t make any significant moves against China; otherwise, it risks a trade war or sanctions that cut it off from the vital supply of batteries and related technology from China’s manufacturing sector. Similarly, if any trade war were to break out, it could massively hamper our progress towards net-zero. This also goes for raw materials sourcing, as China is by far the biggest buyer (meaning it can manipulate the market) and controls many of the mines. So, our climate technology, even if it is manufactured over here, is still at risk of China’s political whim.
Not so with Northvolt. They have broken both the manufacturing and materials tie to China. Not only does this increased independence make our plans for net-zero more reliable and ensure money spent in our economy stays in our economy, but it can also make these cells more ethical. After all, Northvolt has to adhere to more rigorous workers’ rights than its competitors in China, and as it has far greater control over its materials sourcing, it can ensure its cells have the lowest possible environmental impact (and, indeed, already does this).
Finally, the only thing we have yet to learn about this cell is its price, as Northvolt has yet to announce that. But we can make an educated guess.
Despite their increased sustainability and Western origin, Northvolt’s lithium-ion cells are highly competitive. In fact, some of their cells are actually cheaper per kWh than Tesla’s “revolutionary” 4680 cells at $100 per kWh compared to $105 per kWh. Meanwhile, the average lithium-ion cell still costs around $120 per kWh.
The current average cost of sodium-ion cells is $87 per kWh. So, we can estimate that Northvolts might fall just below this at around $80 per kWh. However, most sodium-ion production lines are still scaling up, which is expensive and adds to the price of the battery. Once scaled, the theoretical cost of sodium-ion cells is only $40 per kWh! As Northvolt seems ready to rapidly scale up production of this battery, I wouldn’t be surprised if it soon costs closer to this figure.
Okay, so why is this all so revolutionary?
Well, those gargantuan grid-level batteries for renewable energy are not cheap! Tesla’s megapack (grid-level battery) costs up to $615 per kWh! This insane price is stopping energy grids from fully adopting renewables and instead using them to fill demand as and when we need them. That price includes installation and infrastructure costs, so it isn’t a directly comparable cost to our estimated Northvolt sodium-ion cell price. Though Northvolt sodium-ion powered alternatives will almost certainly be far cheaper.
The fact that we will soon have a Western-sourced and Western-manufactured grid battery that will be significantly cheaper than anything on the market is a massive leap in the right direction. It isn’t a complete solution, as battery prices have to get as low as $20 per kWh to enable energy grids with 100% renewable energy. But Northvolt could take us within touching distance of this figure while also making our batteries less politicised, safer, more ecologically friendly, and more sustainable. So, when I say this could start a renewable revolution, I mean it.
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Sources: Recharge News, Elective, Will Lockett, Will Lockett, PR Newswire, Will Lockett, Energy Post, Pubs.rsc, Torque News, Great Power, Vox, Cell, Iop, NLoM, ACS Publications