China has taken a leap in the energy storage sector by bringing its first major sodium-ion battery energy storage station online. The Fulin Sodium-ion Battery Energy Storage Station, located in Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in southern China, began operation on May 11.
The initial storage capacity of the station is 10 megawatt hours (MWh), but it’s expected to reach a total capacity of 100 MWh once fully developed. The station uses 210 Ah sodium-ion battery cells that can charge to 90% in an impressive 12 minutes. The system comprises 22,000 cells.
Once the project reaches 100 MWh, it could release 73,000 MWh of clean energy each year. This is enough to power 35,000 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50,000 tonnes annually.
The energy conversion efficiency of its sodium-ion battery energy storage system exceeds 92%, which is comparable to the efficiency of common lithium-ion battery storage systems, at 85-95%.
According to China Southern Power Grid, once sodium-ion battery energy storage enters the stage of large-scale development, its cost can be reduced by 20-30%. This can be achieved through further improvements in the sodium-ion battery structure, manufacturing process, material utilization, and cycle life, thus lowering the energy storage cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
Read more: electrek.co