Mine the gap: Sourcing vanadium for the energy transition

Abstract

Vanadium flow batteries (VFBs) are a long-duration energy storage (LDES) technology at the forefront of grid stabilization and decarbonization. Alleviating materials criticality and addressing supply-chain risks of vanadium are key to sustaining the growth of VFB deployment. Here, we present living databases gathered from vanadium stakeholders across the world that capture a holistic, up-to-date snapshot of the vanadium economy along vectors of production, processing, and large-scale battery installations. To mitigate risks to vanadium supply chains and encourage long-term resource availability, numerous opportunities are evaluated, including expanded primary mining in untapped, resource-rich regions, increased secondary production to promote a circular resource economy, and the risks and benefits of state actors in incentivizing supply response and modifying market volatility. By aligning technological innovation with strategic resource management, vanadium can both advance the energy transition through energy storage and serve as an exemplar for building resilient supply chains for other critical materials.