The battery revolution

From Mongolia to Texas, record numbers of lithium-ion batteries are being added to the world's electricity grids - helping to provide more reliable power and speeding up the transition to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

China is installing over half of these new batteries, often in giant battery farms, followed by the United States and Europe. And with prices dropping fast, the trend is likely to continue and spread to more developing countries.

But is battery development moving fast enough to help us meet our climate goals? And what about alternatives to lithium-ion technology like using air, water or even sand? Could these types of batteries help us with other energy problems such as storing heat over the winter.

In this edition of The Climate Question, Hosts Graihagh Jackson talks to Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter at Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg Green's Zero podcast.

Producers: Diane Richardson and Melanie Stewart-Smith
Sound engineer Gareth Jones and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts