An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report notes that a typical EV battery needs 8 kilograms (18 pounds) of lithium, 35 kilogram of manganese and 6-12 kilograms of cobalt. Cobalt in the cathodes ensures they don’t easily overheat or catch fire and helps to extend the life of batteries. The cathodes contain nickel, and play a role in delivering high energy density, which allows the vehicle to travel further. As such, decarbonising the energy sector has dominated both technological and social innovation efforts, with electric vehicles being just one example.Īt the most basic level, EV batteries are charged and discharged through the flow of lithium ions between the anode (positively charged) and the cathode (negatively charged). The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) “Net Zero by 2050” report notes that roughly 75% of current greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the energy sector. A movement away from a fossil fuel-based economy requires the generation of alternative energy sources. Meeting these goals, however, requires a complete transformation – changes to the ways that energy is produced, transported and consumed. There is an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and address global warming in order to limit existing rises in temperatures. The Importance of Cobalt in the Renewable Energy Transition As such, questions have arisen as to whether the transition to electric vehicles and cobalt-based batteries is yet another example of environmental problem-shifting and what a renewable energy transition without cobalt could look like. Cobalt mining, however, is associated with dangerous workers’ exploitation and other serious environmental and social issues.
The world’s largest cobalt supplier is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where it is estimated that up to a fifth of the production is produced through artisanal miners. As a key component of battery materials that power electric vehicles (EVs), cobalt is facing a sustained surge in demand as decarbonisation efforts progress. Earth.Org is powered by over 150 contributing writersĬobalt is quickly becoming the defining example of the mineral conundrum at the heart of the renewable energy transition.
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