US unveils national blueprint to invest in lithium battery technology, clean energy

by Michael Green
US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm said blueprint needed to support 'technological advancement of batteries'. Photo: The White House
The US has unveiled a blueprint to help guide investments for the national development of lithium battery technology over the next 10 years.

US energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said the ‘National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries’ will support moves to establish a domestic lithium-battery manufacturing value chain, "that creates equitable clean-energy manufacturing jobs in America, while helping to mitigate climate change impacts”.

Granholm said the blueprint, developed by the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries, was needed to underpin the country’s "robust innovation infrastructure for the technological advancement of batteries, and an emerging lithium-based, battery manufacturing industry”.

The blueprint will also support the drive for further electrification of transportation and provide stationary grid storage "critical to developing the clean-energy economy”, Granholm said.

Incentives

Goals set out in the document include stimulating the US electrodes, cells and battery pack manufacturing sectors and enabling "end-of-life reuse and critical materials recycling at scale and a full competitive value chain”.

According to the blueprint, public-private partnerships will be encouraged to boost investment across the batteries supply chain.

‘Near term’ objectives include creating incentives to grow domestic battery materials processing and support development of "materials processing innovations to produce low/no cobalt active materials and enable scale up”.

In addition, the federal government will seek to support improved processes for existing materials to cut costs and improve performance to enable a $60/kWh cell cost.

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