[audunw]

At this point I think you have to take into account battery recycling.

If you build a big battery storage system now, by the time it's fully degraded, battery recycling will be a massive and streamlined operation. Given the number of energy storage systems built today you'll have massive quantities of similar and easy-to-recycle cells going to these recycling operations.

So if you're a big grid operator you'll probably be looking at making a streamlined and efficient loop out of getting your old cells recycled and making new cells out of that material. The cost for the replacement storage system will be much lower, and given improvements in cell chemistries, the storage capacity will likely be higher.

Then again, it's possible that grid energy operators will transition to low energy density but cheap and durable chemistries, like Ambri's molten metal batteries.. which essentially last forever.