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by hwillis 3389 days ago
Given the strong commitment to renewable energy and the resulting increasingly unstable (noisy) grid, there will probably be a strong market in Europe and particularly Germany. There are strong graphite[1], spodumene[2], and cobalt[3] resources in Finland, Norway and Sweden- this seems like a really great idea. Batteries are energy intensive and labor-light to make so local renewable power will go pretty far in keeping costs competitive. China has to ship their lithium from central America and their cobalt from central Africa- volume and cheap labor/power are their only current advantages.

[1] http://investingnews.com/company-profiles/graphite-producer-...

[2] http://sciencenordic.com/finland-new-lithium-powerhouse

[3] https://www.adn.com/arctic/article/lapland-host-finlands-big...