Register and we will customize a solution that meets your exact needs. When you speak to one of our experts, you may be qualified to sample our industry-leading products on a no-cost basis.
Storage battery demand is expected to increase because of greater efforts to decarbonise, especially in the country''s high-emitting automobile and power sectors.
Recycling battery materials has increasingly become a trend among advanced economies. But Japan has few domestic resources and currently relies almost entirely on imports of critical metals to produce batteries. Battery materials include lithium, cobalt and nickel.
Japan could face challenges in securing sufficient battery metals in an increasingly competitive international market, as supply sources are already limited. Concerns over stable supplies have been also growing, especially after Russia''s invasion of Ukraine in February, which disrupted global commodity trade.
Six Japanese firms, including Sumitomo Metal Mining, JX Nippon Mining and Metals, Sumitomo Chemical, Kanto Denka Kogyo, Jera and Nissan Motor, are now working together to develop a highly sophisticated recycling technology to recover rare metals, mainly from used storage batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). The firms are supported by state-owned energy research agency Nedo. With this project, Japan aims to establish the technology to achieve a recycling ratio of 70pc for lithium, 95pc for nickel and 95pc for cobalt by the April 2030-March 2031 fiscal year.
Industry group Battery Association for Supply Chain has previously requested the government to establish what it terms a "battery to battery" supply chain, where the proportion of recycled battery use would ideally surpass that of non-recycled batteries by around 2040, while Tokyo promotes the expansion of overseas investment to secure battery materials.
Japan''s domestic lithium-ion battery production capacity is expected to reach 150 GWh/yr by 2030, up by around eight times from the current 20 GWh/yr, according to Meti. To achieve its goal, Japan needs to secure 100,000 t/yr of lithium, 90,000 t/yr of nickel, 150,000 t/yr of graphite, 20,000 of t/yr cobalt and 20,000 t/yr of manganese.
Meti also estimates Japan''s global output capacity of lithium-ion batteries at 600 GWh/yr in 2030, up from the current 40 GWh/yr. This will require 380,000 t/yr of lithium, 310,000 t/yr of nickel, 600,000 t/yr of graphite, 60,000 t/yr of cobalt and 50,000 t/yr of manganese.
Tokyo is now discussing the inclusion of storage batteries in the list of materials deemed vital to ensure the country''s way of life and economic growth, as they are necessary to expand the use of EVs and renewable electricity, in line with the country''s goal to achieve a net-zero society by 2050.
Japan aims to completely replace new sales of passenger automobiles with EVs — such as battery, fuel cell, plug-in hybrid and hybrid EVs — by 2035. The government is also attempting to electrify 20-30pc of newly sold small-scale commercial vehicles by 2030.
Storage batteries have also been deemed a necessary back-up power source in Japan, to increase the use of unstable weather-dependent renewables. Japan targets a 36-38pc share for renewables in its 2030-31 power mix, double the 18pc in 2019-20.
Besides storage batteries, renewable power facilities also require rare metals in the construction process. Japan aims to develop 10GW of offshore wind power by 2030, which will require 115,000 t/yr of copper and 1,060 t/yr of neodymium, Meti said. The requirements are equivalent to around 10pc of the country''s total copper consumption of 1.06mn t and around 23pc of neodymium use of 4,624t in 2018.
SHANGHAI, Jul 26 (SMM) - At the 7th China International New Energy Conference in 2022—Japan, South Korea, Europe and US New Energy Industry Chain Development Forum, jointly organised by SMM and Shanghai Futures Exchange, Tanamachi Yuji, President and CEO of IRuniverse Co., Ltd. explained the battery industry, government policies and battery recycling in Japan.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Japanese battery industry occupied most of the global market share. Sony is the leader in lithium-ion batteries, and Mr Yoshino has made important contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries in Japan. At the same time, Chinese and South Korean enterprises also play an important role in this field.
The fields of semiconductors and rare earth magnets have been mainly developed by Japanese companies before, while Chinese and South Korean companies are now beginning to occupy some market shares in this field.The form of the Japanese battery industry
Mr Yoshino said that Japan's battery industry has come to an end. However, Japanese enterprises still bear an important responsibility in the industry today, that is, supplying key materials for battery manufacturing, such as cathode materials of Ni-Co-Al and Ni-Co-Mn. Battery separators and electrolytes are still produced in Japan.
At present, China is still the largest producer and will further expand its production capacity in the future. In addition, Europe is also expected to expand its production capacity rapidly, while Japan's production capacity growth is relatively small.
In this situation, last November, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan produced a report on the strategy of the Japanese battery industry. Recently, battery manufacturers in China and South Korea have become more and more active.
Japan's advantage is the development and security of solid-state batteries and their supply chain, while its disadvantage is that the country has no strategic support for battery-related industries. In addition, the shortage of resources leads to higher electricity prices compared with foreign countries. Japan's opportunity lies in the fact that technology development will nourish new pure electric vehicles and related markets, and create new jobs. Workers with related skills will be highly valued.
Tanamachi Yuji believes that the threat faced by Japan is the over-reliance on overseas resources. In such cases, Japan's supply chain can hardly function, and both supply and prices will be affected. In addition, many competitors may take strategic actions, such as trade wars or price wars, to destroy the Japanese market with prices or make knowledge and technical personnel flow overseas.
With regard to liquid lithium-ion batteries (liquid LiB) and all-solid lithium-ion batteries, it is expected that liquid LiB will be cobalt-free in the future, and the prices may be high, but it still accounts for about 1/3 of the manufacturing cost of pure electric vehicles, and the battery life will be shortened to about 500 times. As for all-solid LiB, it is estimated that it will be commercially produced around 2030, and people will be more concerned about battery life and natural problems.
The graphite is mainly imported from China, and other battery materials of good quality are supplied by Japan itself. Chinese battery manufacturers have a large production capacity and good quality, so their prices are competitive. China's battery technology has continuously improved in recent years.
Battery Management System (BMS) is considered the key technology that affects safety performance. Tesla is in a leading position in this field, and Japan is also following suit.
In terms of battery investment, Chinese and South Korean companies have invested in Gigabit battery factory projects, which can maintain market control more than Japan. Gigabit battery suppliers are also increasing in China.
The green growth strategy (self-driving cars and battery targets) speeds up the popularisation of self-driving cars and pure electric vehicles and achieves green growth by strengthening electric vehicle-related technologies, such as batteries and supply chains.
Recently, in response to the battery policy and specific measures, the Japanese government will invest 120 billion yen. The government expects that by 2035, the proportion of electric vehicles in domestic passenger cars will reach 100%. The specific goal is that the battery manufacturing capacity will reach 100GWh, and the prices of the battery pack will be lower than 10,000 yen/kWh. In the fixed equipment, the prices of household batteries will be 70,000 yen/kWh, and the prices of commercial and industrial batteries will be 60,000 yen/kWh, reaching the cumulative goal of about 24GWh.
The Japanese government hopes to obtain more overseas resources and materials for manufacturing batteries through direct investment, thus reducing the prices of batteries.
Chinese and South Korean companies have accelerated the pace of mining battery metals, and Japan will follow suit.
With the development of batteries, the government is speeding up the research and development of solid-state lithium-ion batteries, new batteries and storage battery materials, pursuing high-speed, high-quality and low-carbon, and increasing investment in power supply and technology of fixed storage batteries. With regard to the accelerated development of battery reuse and recycling, the government will actively develop recycling procedures for waste electric vehicles and waste battery materials, and participate in the formulation of international standards for the performance and safety of fixed energy storage systems including reusable batteries and international standards for reusable batteries.
Recycling and reuse of batteries in Japan
Japan will develop the technology of recycling lithium-ion batteries, which must be cost-competitive. In the quality of recyclable battery materials, 70% of lithium, 95% of nickel and 95% of cobalt can be used, thus contributing to reducing the risk of rapidly increasing battery resources and improving sustainable development.
Japan will choose different carbon neutral systems from foreign countries, for example, not only electric batteries but also systems that use hydrogen as energy in fuel batteries, etc. Japanese companies have affirmed hybrid vehicles.
Japan is facing challenges in the field of battery recycling. To further produce new batteries and obtain the materials needed for regeneration, the only way is to establish a battery recycling system. For this reason, the EU has established a production line ecosystem and made responsible purchases in the region to ensure that the production process is neutral.
About Battery recycling japan
As the photovoltaic (PV) industry continues to evolve, advancements in Battery recycling japan have become critical to optimizing the utilization of renewable energy sources. From innovative battery technologies to intelligent energy management systems, these solutions are transforming the way we store and distribute solar-generated electricity.
When you're looking for the latest and most efficient Battery recycling japan for your PV project, our website offers a comprehensive selection of cutting-edge products designed to meet your specific requirements. Whether you're a renewable energy developer, utility company, or commercial enterprise looking to reduce your carbon footprint, we have the solutions to help you harness the full potential of solar energy.
By interacting with our online customer service, you'll gain a deep understanding of the various Battery recycling japan featured in our extensive catalog, such as high-efficiency storage batteries and intelligent energy management systems, and how they work together to provide a stable and reliable power supply for your PV projects.
Related Contents
