Energy storage in operation 100,000 kWh Capacity: Largest Sodium-Ion Energy Storage in the World

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With this storage capacity, you could make about 7 million cups of coffee, or you could power 20 households with electricity for a year. However, this is only the first construction phase of the Sodium-Ion battery storage in Hubei province, China.

In the end, when the sodium-ion battery storage in Hubei is completed, it is expected to be 200,000 kWh. The storage was built by the state-owned Datang Group. The storage consists of 42 battery modules, which were supplied by HiNa Battery Technology. HiNa Battery Technology began mass production of sodium-ion batteries in Anhui Province, China, as early as 2022. In 2021, HiNa Battery already supported the commissioning of the world's first 1 MWh sodium-ion energy storage system. The new storage can supply electricity to 12,000 households, reducing CO₂ emissions by 13,000 tons per year.

The advantages of sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries offer several key advantages over traditional lithium-ion batteries. The biggest is the availability of sodium, which is much more common in the earth's crust than lithium. Sodium can be easily extracted from seawater and salt deposits, increasing supply security and potentially leading to lower material costs. In addition, the environmental impact of sodium extraction is less than that of lithium. Lithium has a bad reputation here because it can contaminate drinking water in large quantities during mining and processing. A lot of water is also consumed. Chemicals such as sulfuric acid are also used, which often enter groundwater.

In water-poor regions, the intense water consumption leads to a lowering of the groundwater level, which impairs the drinking water supply and promotes contamination by polluted surface water. In addition, wastewater and residues from lithium mining can contain heavy metals and pollutants that contaminate rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources.

However, sodium-ion batteries do not have these disadvantages. In addition, the batteries are safer because sodium is less reactive than lithium. In addition to cost efficiency and safety, sodium-ion batteries are characterized by their performance at low temperatures (80 percent at minus 20 degrees Celsius) and potentially longer lifespan. This makes them well suited for outdoor use, which is an important point for energy storage.

Some studies also suggest that they have a comparable or even better cycle life. Although the energy density and charging speed of Na-ion batteries still lag behind the best Li-ion batteries, there are active research and development efforts aimed at overcoming these challenges and further improving the technology. However, size and weight are not necessarily critical when it comes to building an energy storage system.

Qianjiang is located relatively centrally in China. The Qianjiang Xiongkou Solar PV Park with a capacity of 100 MW was put into operation here at the end of 2022. In addition, the Qianjiang City Solar PV Park Phase I is expected to be added. Completion is scheduled for 2025. With a capacity of 11,161 MW, it will deliver a huge amount of energy, which of course has to be buffered. (mr)