Energy Transition Under Tension: Africa, Battery Storage, and Critical Raw Materials

The global energy transition is entering a new phase in which practical implementation is encountering structural obstacles. According to Energy Monitor, critical minerals are increasingly becoming the decisive bottleneck for realizing the energy transition. The renewable energy industry is entering a more challenging industrial phase in which the availability of raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earths is becoming the defining constraint on supply capacity. This warning comes at a time when massive investments in battery storage are being made worldwide – a clear sign of the growing gap between ambition and feasibility.

In parallel, concrete projects in South America and Europe demonstrate the ongoing expansion of storage infrastructure. In Chile, ContourGlobal has commissioned the Victor Jara hybrid facility in the Tarapacá region, which combines a 231 MWp solar plant with a 1.3 GWh battery storage system. In Italy, Qualitas Energy is financing the construction of a portfolio of battery energy storage systems with a total capacity of 211 MW. These projects underscore the growing importance of energy storage for integrating volatile renewable energies into the electricity grid – but simultaneously raise the question of long-term raw material availability.

Beyond technological developments in industrialized regions, attention is increasingly turning to Africa, where fundamental questions about electrification remain unresolved. Carol Koech from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) emphasizes to Climate Home News that electricity connections in Africa should occur in a way that transforms communities and livelihoods – not just lights up light bulbs. This perspective challenges the conventional metric of electrification rates and calls for a qualitative assessment: Can electricity access enable productive use, create jobs, and stimulate economic development? The debate marks an important shift in perspective from quantitative connection targets toward development-oriented electrification strategies.

The geopolitical dimension of the energy transition is underscored by demands for national transition plans for fossil fuels. Climate Home News argues that the upcoming COP31 climate conference must convince countries to develop such plans. Particularly in light of a mentioned Iran conflict that disrupts oil and gas supplies, the UN climate summit must address the issues of fossil fuel dependency, energy affordability, and energy access together. This connection of climate policy, energy security, and geopolitical conflicts demonstrates the complexity of global energy transformation.

The present reports illustrate a central dilemma: while technological solutions such as battery storage are being developed and implemented, new dependencies on critical raw materials are emerging. At the same time, fundamental questions about equitable energy supply remain unsolved in large parts of the world. The energy transition thus proves to be not a linear technological advance, but a complex web of technical, economic, social, and geopolitical challenges that require integrated solutions. Perspectives from the Global South, particularly regarding development-oriented electrification, often remain underexposed in Western energy debates, despite being central to a globally just energy transition.