The current energy scenario shows a continuous increase in non-programmable renewable energy sources which makes the use of different forms of energy storage essential. Among these, electrochemical storage and in particular rechargeable batteries stand out. Batteries have a key role in the energy transition and have the further advantage of being already of common use for some aspects of daily life. Batteries, therefore, do not need to prove their worth as “energy containers”, but must instead answer more complex questions such as the security of raw materials supply and value chain; they must demonstrate both their economic and environmental sustainability in stationary and mobility applications, necessary to unlock the next stages of the green transition. Furthermore, batteries must respond to increasingly specific and demanding demands on their performance in terms of energy density and durability. This is the main purpose of the large national System Research project 1.2 ""Technologies and materials for electrochemical and thermal storage"" (https://www.csea.it/ricerca-di-sistema/ ) through the research for new, high-performance and sustainable materials; the development of new alternative technologies, the study of systems and possible future scenarios, as well as the use of advanced computational studies for the understanding of batteries and their functioning at both a fundamental and application level. In this seminar, results from the almost completed three-year period 2022-2024 will be presented, focusing on the R&I on sodium-ion batteries and other sodium-based technologies.