When I think about batteries, I think ‘metal’. So that was why a recent story from Europe surprised me so much – the idea of producing batteries from trees. For me, it was yet another reminder of the circular economy revolution that  is quietly happening in the bioeconomy. Wooden batteries mean: no mining and no shortage of expensive metals, and thus no harmful practices in extracting raw materials. 

Scandinavian companies are paving the way for sustainable energy storage generated from their forests that is far less harmful to the environment than our conventional practices.

Finnish designers Stora Enso have built a production facility costing €10 million that will create renewable bio-based carbon, and now that the pilot facility has started operations, production of its wood-based carbon for batteries, known as Lignode, is being ramped up. Applications include electric vehicles and consumer electronics as well as large-scale energy storage systems.