Wind power. Solar power. Electric cars. That’s the future envisioned by many advocates of getting the U.S. to net zero carbon emissions. Translating this vision into a reality depends heavily on battery technology. But are the batteries up to it?

To get to net zero carbon emissions, we’d need batteries. A lot of them.

Wind and solar are intermittent sources of energy, meaning they only give you power when the weather’s cooperating. So, if we want to use them to power our economy, we have to figure out what to do when they’re not producing energy.

The most popular idea is to use batteries to store the excess energy generated by wind and solar when the weather’s cooperating. But while that seems straightforward, it’s actually incredibly complicated.

One problem is supply. China makes 76% of the world’s lithium-ion batteries (and controls much of the mineral refining necessary for battery production).

Another problem is cost. As the use of renewable energy expands, the use of batteries actually drives energy prices higher. Finally, there’s the issue of resources. Research suggests that the amount of minerals required to transition to a carbon-free economy may be more than the proven reserves on Earth.

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