The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a $50 million initiative to advance sodium-ion battery technology as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries. This effort, known as the Low-cost Earth-abundant Na-ion Storage (LENS) consortium, will be led by DOE's Argonne National Laboratory and includes collaboration with several other national laboratories.
The LENS consortium aims to develop high-energy, long-lasting sodium-ion batteries using safe and abundant materials. "By leading the LENS consortium, Argonne will push sodium-ion battery technology forward and contribute to a secure energy future for everyone," said Argonne Director Paul Kearns. The project seeks to reduce U.S. reliance on lithium, cobalt, and nickel—elements critical to current lithium-ion batteries—and foster an industrial ecosystem for sodium-ion batteries in the United States.
Currently, lithium-ion batteries dominate the market for energy storage in devices such as smartphones and electric vehicles. However, relying on these critical elements poses supply chain risks. Sodium is more abundant and could provide a wider variety of cost-effective options.
Venkat Srinivasan, director of the LENS consortium and of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS), highlighted the challenge: "The challenge ahead is improving sodium-ion energy density so that it first matches and then exceeds that of phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries while minimizing and eliminating the use of all critical elements."
To achieve its goals, Argonne has assembled a team from national laboratories and universities with expertise in sodium-ion batteries. Their research will focus on discovering high-energy electrode materials, improving electrolytes, and designing battery cells.
"Sodium-ion batteries can play an important role in society’s need for inexpensive energy storage," said Gerd Ceder from Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division. The consortium also includes eight university partners: Florida State University, University of California San Diego, University of Houston, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Maryland, University of Rhode Island, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Virginia Tech.
An advisory board comprising established companies will offer industry perspectives to nurture a U.S.-based ecosystem for this emerging technology. Will Chueh from SLAC-Stanford Battery Center stated that "the bold technical targets of LENS aim to transform sodium-ion batteries from a promising technology to a viable component of tomorrow’s electric vehicles."
This initiative is part of DOE's broader portfolio on sodium-ion battery research aimed at applications in electric vehicles and grid storage.