Exploring the Material Feasibility of a LiFePO 4 -Based Energy Storage System

Caleb Scarlett and Vivek Utgikar ()
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Caleb Scarlett: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
Vivek Utgikar: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: This paper analyzes the availability of lithium resources required to support a global decarbonized energy system featuring electrical energy storage based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. A net-zero carbon grid consisting of existing nuclear and hydro capacity, with the balance being a 50/50 mix of wind and solar power generation, is assumed to satisfy projected world electrical demand in 2050, incorporating the electrification of transportation. The battery electrical storage capacity needed to support this grid is estimated and translated into the required number of nominal 10 MWh LFP storage plants similar to the ones currently in operation. The total lithium required for the global storage system is determined from the number of nominal plants and the inventory of lithium in each plant. The energy required to refine this amount of lithium is accounted for in the estimation of the total lithium requirement. Comparison of the estimated lithium requirements with known global lithium resources indicates that a global storage system consisting only of LFP plants would require only around 12.3% of currently known lithium reserves in a high-economic-growth scenario. The overall cost for a global LFP-based grid-scale energy storage system is estimated to be approximately USD 17 trillion.

Keywords: lithium; lithium iron phosphate; resource availability; battery storage; lithium processing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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