The World’s First 100MWh Sodium-ion Battery Energy Storage Power Station Put into Operation

Dubbed the "Giant Power Bank", the Datang Hubei Qianjiang Sodium-ion Battery Energy Storage Power Station consists of 42 energy storage battery prefabricated cabins and 21 step-up converter all-in-one machines. Its commissioning is not only a record-breaking achievement in scale, but also a milestone for multiple key technological breakthroughs in sodium-ion battery energy storage technology. Compared with traditional lithium batteries, sodium-ion batteries feature more sustainable access to raw materials such as sodium and aluminum, with a more stable supply chain. The Qianjiang power station has achieved three core performance breakthroughs in practical application: long service life, wide temperature range and high power, with 100% localized core materials and independent technological control.

In terms of the much-watched temperature adaptability, Hu Yongsheng, researcher at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhongke Haina, stated: "With its unique wide temperature range performance, sodium-ion batteries can maintain about 90% capacity retention rate at a low temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius, far outperforming ordinary lithium batteries which only retain 50%-60% capacity. Even at a high temperature of 60 degrees Celsius, sodium-ion batteries can realize stable charge and discharge operations." This core advantage not only effectively ensures the stable operation of energy storage systems in regions with severe cold in winter and extreme heat in summer, but also significantly reduces the dependence of energy storage systems on temperature control equipment and cuts energy consumption in the temperature control process, further improving the economic efficiency of energy storage projects.

The wide temperature range performance of sodium-ion batteries has also greatly expanded the geographical application boundary of energy storage technology. Relying on this performance, the technical mode of the Qianjiang power station can be steadily implemented in China's three northern regions (North China, Northwest China and Northeast China), as well as in extreme climate areas such as Northern Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and Africa. It supports the construction of renewable energy supporting energy storage systems in these regions, and notably improves the absorption rate and power supply reliability of green energy such as wind and photovoltaic power.

In grid-side application, this sodium-ion battery energy storage power station also undertakes the important tasks of peak shaving and valley filling, and alleviating the pressure of power transmission and distribution. Meanwhile, it serves as a key buffer device for the grid connection of new energy such as wind and photovoltaic power, effectively stabilizing the volatility of new energy power generation, enhancing the grid's capacity to absorb green energy, and providing important technical support and engineering practice reference for the steady transformation of China's new power system.