Are Na-ion batteries nearing the energy storage tipping point? - Current status of non-aqueous, aqueous, and solid-sate Na-ion battery technologies for sustainable energy storage

The growth of renewable energy generation has been unprecedented in the last two decades. Although renewable energy generation offers an alternative to the growing energy needs, the intermittency in power supply and demand makes energy storage an inevitable part of energy generation and distribution. Here, battery energy storage systems (BESS) play a significant role in renewable energy implementation for balanced power generation and consumption. A cost-effective alternative in electrochemical storage has led us to explore sustainable successors for Li-ion battery technology (LIBs). The rechargeable batteries mainly include Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Zn2+ ion technologies. High-temperature sodium storage systems like Na-S and Na-NiCl2, where molten sodium is employed, are already used. In ambient temperature energy storage, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered the best possible candidates beyond LIBs due to their chemical, electrochemical, and manufacturing similarities. The resource and supply chain limitations in LIBs have made SIBs an automatic choice to the incumbent storage technologies. Shortly, SIBs can be competitive in replacing the LIBs in the grid energy storage sector, low-end consumer electronics, and two/three-wheeler electric vehicles. We review the current status of non-aqueous, aqueous, and all-solid-state SIBs as green, safe, and sustainable solutions for commercial energy storage applications.