China’s Datang Group has achieved a major breakthrough by successfully connecting the first phase of its sodium-ion energy storage project to the power grid in Qianjiang, Hubei Province. This marks the project as the world’s largest operational sodium-ion battery system.
The project has a capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) and can store 100 megawatt hours (MW) of energy. It is just one part of the larger Datang Hubei Sodium Ion New Energy Storage Power Station. The first phase consists of 42 storage containers and 21 boost converters, which help manage and distribute stored energy.
HiNa Battery Technology provided batteries for this project. These are high-capacity sodium-ion batteries, an alternative to the more commonly used lithium-ion batteries. The system also includes a 110 kV transformer station, which is essential for converting and transmitting stored energy to the grid.
Building and connecting the project was not without challenges. However, the Datang Group was able to overcome these difficulties, highlighting China’s leadership in the development and implementation of large-scale sodium-ion battery technology.
The technology is important because it provides a new way to store energy that can help balance supply and demand on the electric grid, especially when using renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.