Research & stakeholder engagement for improved management of used batteries in Africa

Access to clean, reliable electricity is one of the greatest challenges to sustainable development in Africa. Energy storage, particularly batteries, will be critical to supporting Africa’s progress to full energy access by 2030, enabling off-grid and on-grid electrification. This increasing demand for batteries also brings increasing challenges, due to a growing stream of decommissioned batteries. Historic pollution cases from substandard lead-acid recycling facilities on the continent, and a lack of lithium-ion recycling infrastructure, the two most used technologies for energy access applications, highlight the gap countries face in implementing a sustainable battery supply chain. The project analysis the current and projected situation of battery deployment for energy access in African countries and looks into challenges and opportunities for battery recycling and repurposing. The work is guided by extensive stakeholder consultation and aims at developing tangible solutions for key challenges so to enable a full sustainable electrification of households and communities on the continent.