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Spotted: Presently, demand for cobalt is skyrocketing due to the huge rise in demand for electric vehicles (EVs). And by 2026, EV production will account for half of all global cobalt demand. One company is aiming to help meet this demand, and is doing so using renewable energy. 

EVelution Energy is building the first solar-powered and carbon-neutral cobalt processing facility in the US. With this new facility in Yuma County, Arizona, the company hopes to be able to produce 33,000 metric tonnes of battery-grade cobalt sulphate annually, which will support the manufacture of 470,000 EVs every single year.  

Cobalt processing relies on either pyrometallurgical (metal ore extraction using heat) or hydrometallurgical processes (metal extraction using aqueous solutions), with EVelution Energy’s facility using the latter. In each instance, large amounts of energy are required. This is where the benefit of EVelution Energy’s 28.4-megawatt solar power arrays comes in, enabling the facility to power itself with renewable energy sources and accomplish its carbon-neutral status. Additionally, the facility will treat and recycle 70 per cent of the water it uses. 

EVelution Energy’s sustainable philosophy extends beyond its net-zero commitments, and highlights that it will also be prioritising resource efficiency and science-based innovation to optimise operations, as well as ethical sourcing and transparent supply chains.  

The facility expects to start construction in 2024 and aims to become operational by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026. 

As the world adapts to meet net-zero targets, innovators are playing an increasingly vital role, providing us with new ways to create and store green energy. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted these smart shutters that double as solar panels, as well as this company that’s utilising spent EV batteries for on-site energy storage. 

Written By: Archie Cox