Commoditisation of Li-ion not necessarily a direct parallel with solar, manufacturer says

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Electrovaya completed the acquisition of its manufacturing subsidiary, Litarion, in 2015. Image: Electrovaya.

The prospect of the ‘commoditisation’ of lithium-ion batteries is not likely to be as clear-cut as has been seen in the PV industry, one manufacturer has said.

Electrovaya’s business development director Kunal Phalpher spoke with sister title Energy-Storage.News at the Electrical Energy Storage show in Munich, co-located with Intersolar Europe. Phalpher, who has a background as an engineer and in technical sales, said that while there has correctly been an awareness from hardware providers that advanced batteries are likely to be differentiated more on price in the future as the technology continues to scale and become ever-more ubiquitous, the parallels seen with the PV industry do not extend as far as many have assumed.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“I would say if we compare it to solar where everybody said modules are a commodity, I’d say the chemistry in batteries is more finicky,” Phalpher said.

“There’s more recipes, there’s more ability to differentiate on technology. Iron phosphate was interesting, then NMC, then something else might come along. A solar module, there’s more quality differences – the glass, the frame, the paste and other materials but the core that makes the energy is the cell. That’s really become commoditised.

For the full story on Energy-Storage News, click here.

Read Next

July 2, 2025
The US Senate has narrowly passed – with a 51-50 vote and with vice-president JD Vance breaking the tie – the reconciliation bill yesterday (1 July) without the solar and wind excise tax.
July 1, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Arevon Energy has closed a US$600 million credit facility to support its solar PV and energy storage portfolio in the US.
June 30, 2025
Voting on the US tax reconciliation bill is expected to begin in the Senate today, following a draft published on Friday that hit clean energy tax credits hard.
June 30, 2025
The Spanish government has launched a €100 million (US$117 million) aid programme to help promote the recycling and reuse of materials from renewable energy projects.
June 27, 2025
The UK government has decided it will not sign a Contract for Difference (CfD) with Xlinks for the 11.5GW Morroco-UK interconnector project.
June 26, 2025
International researchers led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a new cooling technology that improves the power and longevity of solar cells.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK