10 Battery Gigafactories Are Now in the Works, and Elon Musk May Add 4 More
June 30th, 2017Via: Green Tech Media:
Overall, Bloomberg reports that global battery-making capacity is set to more than double by 2021, topping 278 gigawatt-hours a year compared to 103 gigawatt-hours at present.
The massive planned increase in battery production feels similar to the Chinese manufacturing boom that radically altered the PV landscape around a decade ago, by creating oversupply that ultimately led to the demise of dozens of solar firms.
Could the same phenomenon be underway in battery manufacturing?
Probably not, say storage experts. The pricing declines won’t be nearly as dramatic due to supply chain differences.
“Unlike PV, battery raw materials are rare metals that have to be mined and processed, so they will have constant supply-demand push-pull, minimizing risk of supply glut,” said Ravi Manghani, director of GTM Research’s storage practice.
“The industry is in the middle of a huge cost declines phase as manufacturers continue to bring large gigafactories on-line. While some individual vendors may see massive cost step-downs as facilities are activated or new generation products with superior density are launched, on a macro level, the declines are going to be much more gradual,” said Manghani.
Related: China Is About to Bury Elon Musk in Batteries
