Lithium-ion energy storage battery cost analysis

Are lithium-ion batteries used in stationary energy storage systems?

Lead-acid batteries were playing the leading role utilized as stationary energy storage systems. However, currently, there are other battery technologies like lithium-ion (Li-ion), which are used in stationary storage applications though there is uncertainty in its cost-effectiveness.

How much does a lithium ion battery cost?

For Li-ion batteries, nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) systems had the lowest cost, followed by lithium iron phosphate (LFP), and lithium titanate oxide (LTO) systems had a 50–100 percent higher cost, with the cost difference mainly attributable to differences in operating potential. For NMC systems, the cost range was $325–$520/kWh.

How are battery energy storage costs forecasted?

Forecast procedures are described in the main body of this report. C&C or engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) costs can be estimated using the footprint or total volume and weight of the battery energy storage system (BESS). For this report, volume was used as a proxy for these metrics.

Are battery storage Investments economically viable?

It is important to examine the economic viability of battery storage investments. Here the authors introduced the Levelized Cost of Energy Storage metric to estimate the breakeven cost for energy storage and found that behind-the-meter storage installations will be financially advantageous in both Germany and California.

Does hydrogen storage cost more than lithium ion batteries?

In contrast the LCOEC for hydrogen storage is likely to be smaller than that of li-ion cells if the hydrogen is stored in tanks or underground caverns 37. For lithium-ion batteries, we find that, depending on the duration, an effective upper bound on the current unit cost of storage would be about 27¢ per kWh under current U.S. market conditions.

Does price per energy capacity underestimate lithium-ion technology improvement rates?

The increase in improvement rates observed when other historically important performance characteristics are incorporated into the definition of service suggests a rough estimate for how much measures based on price per energy capacity alone might underestimate how rapidly lithium-ion technologies improved.