CE Delft and WSP researched the potential of sodium batteries in the European Union for the EESC (European Economic and Social Committee). Sodium batterie developments increased significantly in the past few years and offer a safe and sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. We have researched how sodium batteries can expand the European independency: both on an industrial production scale as energy independence of households and businesses.
Overall, sodium-ion batteries offer a promising complement or replacement to lithium-ion batteries for improving EU energy preparedness, especially in stationary household and business energy storage applications that prioritise raw material availability, cost stability and safety aspects of implementation over energy density. While sodium ion batteries are already commercialised, the technology is not yet fully mature and European manufacturing capacity remains limited. In the longer term, sodium ion offers strategic advantages by reducing dependence on critical raw material imports, lowering geopolitical exposure, and supporting decentralised energy resilience aligning with the EU’s preparedness union strategy. However, realising these benefits would require substantial capital investment, risk tolerance, strong coordination, long-term planning and sustained policy and financial support to compete with a rapidly scaling Chinese industry that currently holds much of the intellectual property.
The report can be downloaded here.