The world's first energy storage power station based on the 100 kWh Na-ion battery (NIB) system was launched on 29^th March, 2019, successfully supplying power to the building of Yangtze River Delta Physics Research Center located in Liyang city. This achievement was jointly completed by the team from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOP-CAS) and the HiNa Battery Technology Co., Ltd led by Prof. Yong-Sheng Hu, marking the first demonstration of hundred-kWh-level NIB-based power station in China.

In the critical period of the transformation of energy consumption mode, the research and development of energy storage technologies becomes the driving force to reform the energy structure of China. At present, various energy storage technologies including compressed air, high-temperature sodium battery, lead-acid battery, flow battery, Li-ion battery, etc. are developing in parallel, employing their own advantages in eliminating geographical, environmental and resource limitations. However, none of them can satisfy all the requirements for grid energy storage. With the same working principle and similar battery components to Li-ion batteries, NIBs have become a rising star candidates and aroused a great deal of interest recently for the application in energy storage filed, especially towards the grid electric energy storage due to their advantages such as abundant resources, low cost, flexible portability, high energy conversion efficiency, long cycle life, good safety and maintenance-free.

Since 2011, the IOP-CAS has been dedicated to investigate the key materials and technologies for the low-cost and high-performance NIBs, developing practical NIB systems with our own intellectual property rights. In 2017, HiNa battery company based on IOP-CAS technology was founded to perform the pilot exploration in Liyang city, Jiangsu province. Until now, ton-level production lines of cathode and anode materials have been established; the NIB cell fabrication line with MWh production capacity has been built; the NIB pouch cells with energy density of 120 Wh/kg and cycle life of 2000 cycles have been developed; the demonstration of NIB packs in E-bike, mini electric vehicle and household energy storage cabinet has been completed, establishing China’s international leading position in the fundamental research and commercialization promotion of NIBs.

The built 30 kW/100 kWh NIB power station will store the off-peak electricity from the grid and provide part of the electricity for the building of Yangtze River Delta Physics Research Center during on-peak period, realizing the power consumption mode called “valley electricity for peak use” to save the electricity cost, meanwhile, acting as the emergency power supply during the power grid cut-off. The launch of this NIB power station effectively responds to the new demands of green, low-carbon, efficient and safe for energy reforms, promoting the application of clean energy technology in China to a new level and enhancing China’s competitiveness and impacts in the field of energy storage technology.