ATENA+ is scaling up sodium-ion batteries to make energy storage safer, more affordable, and environmentally sustainable, shaping Europe’s green energy future.

The EU-funded project ATENA+ has released a video to show how it is creating a fully sustainable battery system  

The four-year project is developing next-generation sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to today’s lithium-based technologies. 

Most batteries today rely on lithium and cobalt, which are scarce, expensive, and often sourced from outside Europe. By contrast, sodium-ion batteries use abundant and widely available materials, offering a more secure, ethical, and sustainable path to energy independence. 

The video shows how ATENA+ goes beyond traditional research by combining eco-design principles, digital manufacturing, and recycling strategies to create a fully sustainable battery system. Specifically, the project is developing: 

• Cobalt-free cathodes and bio-based hard carbons, 

• Advanced digital tools to optimise production efficiency, 

• Circular strategies to recover and reuse materials, and 

• Five large-scale use cases from stationary energy storage to heavy-duty transport to test real-world performance, safety, and lifespan. 

Watch video below:

About ATENA+ 

ATENA+ (Affordable and Sustainable Sodium-Ion Batteries for a Green and Resilient Europe) is a Horizon Europe-funded project (Grant Agreement No. 101192673) running from 2025 to 2029. The consortium includes 13 partners, working together to make sodium-ion batteries a key enabler of Europe’s clean energy transition. 

 Learn more at www.atena-project.eu. 

Contacts: 

info@atenaplus.eu