Potential Health Impact Assessment of Large-Scale Production of Batteries for the Electric Grid

Battery storage technologies such as redox flow batteries (RFBs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are appealing candidates for large-scale energy storage requirements to support the integration of renewable energy into electric grids. To ensure that their environmental benefits outweigh the environmental costs of producing battery storage systems, it is vital to assess the potential health impacts of battery materials and waste emissions during production. Here, we present a case study based on life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) to characterize the toxicity hazard associated with the production of six types of battery storage technologies including three RFBs [vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB), zinc-bromine flow battery (ZBFB), and the all-iron flow battery (IFB)], and three LIBs [lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel cobalt manganese hydroxide (NCM), and lithium manganese oxide (LMO)]. USETox® v2.0 (USETox®) was used for LCIA and we found higher impacts found higher impacts on human health outcomes for the production of LIBs than for RFBs, noting that uncertainties associated with the characterization factors demand caution in interpreting the results. Overall, the study provides (1) a comprehensive evaluation of life cycle impacts for materials, components, and systems associated with the production of burgeoning six battery energy storage technologies and (2) an important foundation for the identification of battery technologies with lower potential negative impacts associated with integrating energy storage in strategies for upscaling renewable energy sources.