According to data from the National Energy Administration of China, as of the end of 2023, the cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage projects completed and put into operation in China has reached 31.39 million kilowatts. Among them, in 2023, China added about 22.6 million kilowatts of new energy storage installed capacity, an increase of over 260% compared to the end of 2022.
However, it should be noted that the traditional power system is transitioning to a new type of power system, and energy storage technology is flourishing and developing rapidly. However, while developing rapidly, it also faces many challenges.
Yu Dongxu, Director of Ningde Era Energy Storage Technology Center
Yu Dongxu, Director of Ningde Era Energy Storage Technology Center
“Safety discounts, reduced energy efficiency, high energy consumption of auxiliary systems, and insufficient matching with the lifespan of photovoltaics have resulted in high full lifecycle costs, and the overall cost and structural design of photovoltaic stations are constantly constrained by the size of energy storage battery capacity, insulation, and common mode interference. There is a lack of complete standards and specifications…” said Yu Dongxu, Director of Ningde Era Energy Storage Technology Center, at the 2024 Ningde Era Energy Storage New Product Launch Conference.
Tianheng Energy Storage System
In this context, on the afternoon of April 9th, Ningde Times Energy Storage Business Unit launched another heavyweight product, officially releasing the world’s first 5-year zero attenuation and large-scale production “Tianheng Energy Storage System”, integrating “5-year zero attenuation, 6.25MWh, multi-dimensional true safety”, pressing the accelerator button for the large-scale application and high-quality development of new energy storage.
5-year Double Zero Attenuation Speaking with Technology
In December 2023, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration released the latest national standard “Lithium ion Batteries for Power Energy Storage” (GB/T 36276-2023), which will replace the current standard “Lithium ion Batteries for Power Energy Storage” (GB/T 36276-2018), further improving the performance and safety requirements of lithium battery energy storage, and will be implemented from July 1, 2024.
Xu Jinmei, CTO of Ningde Times Energy Storage Business Unit and President of Energy Storage Europe Business Unit
Xu Jinmei, CTO of Ningde Times Energy Storage Business Unit and President of Energy Storage Europe Business Unit
At the meeting, Xu Jinmei, CTO of Ningde Times Energy Storage Business Unit and President of Energy Storage Europe Business Unit, stated that the design of energy storage power stations must be comprehensively upgraded, and energy storage, as a core supporting system, also requires targeted solutions.
According to Hui Dong, the chief expert of the Chinese Academy of Electric Power Sciences, the current energy storage application market is facing issues of actual lifespan not meeting expectations and safety risks. In terms of service life, the actual operating life of power type energy storage products and energy type energy storage products generally does not meet expectations, and the utilization hours of new energy station energy storage systems are generally less than 400 hours.
Tianheng Energy Storage System
According to Battery Network, the current energy storage systems in the industry can achieve zero capacity degradation for up to 3 years. The Ningde Times Tianheng Energy Storage System is equipped with the L series of energy storage dedicated long-life zero attenuation battery cells, achieving an ultra-high energy density of 430Wh/L for lithium iron phosphate energy storage batteries. At the same time, by adopting biomimetic SEI and self-assembled electrolyte technology, zero attenuation of power and capacity is achieved for 5 years, and the power consumption of auxiliary equipment is controllable and does not increase throughout its entire lifecycle, reaching a new milestone.
It is worth mentioning that both of these zero attenuation indicators are based on the ability to be mass-produced on a large scale.
It is understood that in order to achieve zero attenuation technology for batteries, it is necessary to adjust the material process, optimize the discharge specific capacity, charging and discharging efficiency and other indicators of battery materials; At the same time, it is necessary to adopt more electrochemical active substances to break through innovation and ensure that the battery prioritizes the consumption of excess active substances during charging and discharging cycles, thereby ensuring that its capacity does not decay. To achieve all of this, a significant investment in research and development costs and equipment innovation is required.
Xu Jinmei mentioned that as early as 2016, CATL had already begun the research and development of long-life zero attenuation technology; In 2020, the company achieved technological breakthroughs in large-scale lithium-ion energy storage lifespan, energy efficiency, safety, testing, system integration, and successfully developed a 3-year zero decay ultra long life battery. It was also the first lithium iron phosphate battery in the industry to have a cycle life of more than 12000 times, and was implemented in the Fujian Jinjiang project.
It is reported that the project has maintained its rated capacity and annual utilization rate of over 98% since its operation for 3 years. During the operation of the battery, no battery cell has been replaced.
According to the annual report, in 2023, Ningde Times invested 18.356 billion yuan in research and development expenses, a year-on-year increase of 18.35%. The company is based on advanced research and development methodology, relying on its rich experience, technological accumulation, and massive data in the lithium battery industry. Through an intelligent product research and design platform, it continues to launch new products with high specific energy, ultra fast charging, high safety, and long lifespan.
According to Xu Jinmei, the tested lifespan of Ningde Era’s zero attenuation long-life battery laboratory has exceeded 15000 times.
Breaking away from low price competition and speaking with profit
Battery Network has noticed that since last year, the price war in the energy storage industry has become increasingly fierce, with many companies competing for orders even at a loss, focusing on low price strategies.
The impact of price wars on the industry is a series of factors, such as upstream suppliers continuing to pressure their performance in the context of price declines, which can easily have an impact on the company’s operations and research and development; Downstream buyers, on the other hand, tend to overlook product performance or safety issues by comparing price advantages.
In Xu Jinmei’s view, CATL aims to turn investors into owners of high-quality assets through technology and products.
Tianheng Energy Storage System
Battery Network learned from the press conference that the Ningde Times Tianheng Energy Storage System achieves a high energy level of 6.25MWh in a standard 20 foot container, with a 30% increase in energy density per unit area and a 20% reduction in overall site area, reducing operating costs and improving investment returns.
It is reported that large battery cells and high-capacity energy storage products have become the focus of competition among energy storage enterprises, and 300+Ah large battery cells and 5MWh energy storage systems have become the mainstream in the industry. The Tianheng energy storage system released by Ningde Times this time has broken through the mainstream industry standards, using “5-year zero attenuation+6.25MWh high energy” technology to ensure efficient operation of the product throughout its lifecycle, and using technology to promote the return of the energy storage market to healthy competition.
At the same time, Ningde Times Tianheng Energy Storage System has built a multi-dimensional safety technology for the entire product lifecycle at the safety level, ensuring safety at the source of the product, rather than post protection. From the inherent safety technology of individual units to the network safety prevention and control technology of the system, it ensures the safety and reliability of the product.
According to Battery Network, Ningde Times has achieved the industry leading PPB level in terms of single cell failure efficiency.
“Energy storage is an important part of the development of the energy economy. In this era, industries without benefits cannot go far. Energy storage requires benefits to achieve high-quality development,” said Xu Jinmei.
Previously, some industry insiders had stated that energy storage batteries are a long-term strategy, and 2024 will be a watershed for the industry. blindly adopting a low price strategy will make it difficult to defeat top manufacturing companies.
Promote the development of energy storage and speak with strength
As Yu Dongxu said, energy storage is an important business sector of CATL and also an important driving force for future development.
Post time: Apr-11-2024