Mining and Renewable Energy

The development and use of renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells, will minimize greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. But creating these systems on the scale of increasing demand will require increasing amounts of battery metals.

Battery metals are mined materials essential to the manufacture of batteries and/or the storage of energy. These materials are crucial to decarbonizing transportation and any widespread transition to renewable energy — which means the success of renewable energy initiatives relies, in large part, on the mining of essential metals, including lithium, nickel, aluminum, copper, zinc, silicon, graphite, manganese, cobalt, and rare earth metals.

As renewable energy initiatives expand on a global scale, these metals — particularly lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese — will continue to be in high demand, which makes sustainable mining a priority for many countries with large deposits of these “green minerals.”

Lithium and nickel mining have become focal points in the transition to renewable energy, largely due to their essential roles in electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage technologies. Lithium is the primary component in lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from electric cars to grid-scale renewable energy storage systems. Nickel demand has surged as newer battery chemistries—especially nickel-rich variants like NMC and NCA—enable higher energy density and longer driving ranges in EVs.

Major automakers, including Tesla, have intensified their search for stable and ethical supplies of nickel and lithium. Some companies are investing directly in mining operations, while others form strategic partnerships with mining firms to secure long-term supply. This increased demand raises concerns about environmental impacts, such as water use, pollution, and habitat disruption in mining regions. As a result, there is growing emphasis on improving mining practices, developing battery recycling infrastructure, and researching alternative battery chemistries with lower resource requirements.

The sustainable energy sector is thus not only focused on clean energy generation, but also on responsible sourcing and circular economy solutions for the materials that make it possible.

Sustainable mining starts with sustainably manufactured equipment that can handle a variety of mining conditions, is easy to maintain, and can provide a long wear life. KSB offers three GIW^® slurry pump ranges well suited for the sustainable mining of battery metals. For low to nonabrasive slurries, the GIW^® LCC-M can be easily dismantled for on-site service and maintenance. The GIW^® LSA is engineered to handle severe slurries, and the GIW^® MDX — among the largest slurry pumps on the market — is designed for extremely abrasive, “aggressive” slurries and boasts an extraordinarily long service life.

Minerals, like lithium and nickel, are crucial to the production and storage of clean energy, and sustainable mining is essential to the responsible retrieval of these critical resources. KSB is committed to research and development to ensure continuous improvement and the development of new products and technologies that contribute to sustainable mining. Demand for certain materials may shift as energy needs change, but R&D continues to keep KSB at the forefront of an ever-changing market.