Salt batteries are finally shaping up – that’s good for the planet

The following is an extract from our climate newsletter Fix the Planet. Find out about our range of newsletters and sign up here.

The clean energy revolution depends on batteries, but almost all the batteries we use today are made from lithium, a metal with a limited supply and a devastating environmental impact. Could we replace it with something more readily available?

New Scientist published a feature story about batteries made using common salt back in January 2021. These sodium-ion versions promised a cheaper alternative to those made of…