‘World-first’ grid-scale sodium-ion battery project in China enters commercial operation

'World-first' grid-scale sodium-ion battery project in China enters commercial operation

A battery energy storage system (BESS) project using sodium-ion technology has entered commercial operation in Qingdao, China.

The demonstration project of 5MW/10MWh was officialised last month (14 July) between project partners Great Power, a battery technology company, Qingdao Beian Holdings and Noan Technology Co.

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

- Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
- In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
- Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
- Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

It is located in Qingdao North Coast Data Center (QNCDC), in the northeastern town, though the announcement contained some ambiguity over whether the project is being launched or has already been brought online.

It is the first application of sodium-ion batteries in new energy storage and new infrastructure of big data centers, the companies claimed. It will improve QNCDC’s energy efficiency and support the further construction of more green data centre infrastructure.

Technology provider Green Power has been developing its sodium-ion technology for three years, describing it as a “a combined strategy of layered oxide and polyanion systems”, achieving “multiple technology innovations and breakthroughs.”

The released added: “In the polyanion systems, a highly stable system has been constructed through material innovation, breaking through the core pain points of low energy density and revolutionising the life of sodium-ion batteries to over 6000 cycles. For the layered oxide system, a high-voltage system has been developed to increase the energy density to 150Wh/kg, with a cycle life reaching up to 3000 cycles.”

As well as reducing the energy costs of the data centre, the project will also participate in ancillary services to help the power grid’s reliability and stability.

Sodium-ion battery technology is regarded by some as most commercially advanced non-lithium battery tech. One year ago this week, Max Reid, research analyst in Wood Mackenzie’s Battery & Raw Materials Service segment, told Energy-Storage.news he estimated there would be around 1GWh of global annual production capacity this year rising to 5-10GWh by 2025.

What was claimed to be the world’s first sodium-ion gigafactory was opened in China in December 2022, by state-owned power company China Three Gorges Corporation.

See all our recent coverage of the sodium-ion battery space here, including a fundraise by Sweden-based Altris, a 100MWh sodium solid state battery factory in Germany and United Airlines investing in technology provider Natron Energy.