The research and development team has entered the pilot stage of research and development of green and low-cost sodium-ion batteries
“After a year of hard work, the green low-cost sodium-ion battery we developed has entered the pilot stage, and it is expected to enter industrial production in the fourth quarter of this year.” Zheng Qifeng, a professor at the School of Chemistry of South China Normal University, said in a recent interview.
In March 2023, the “South China Normal University-Naipu Power Green Low-cost Sodium-ion Battery R&D Center” was unveiled, and Zheng Qifeng served as the deputy director of the R&D center. As a result, the relevant parties will deepen cooperation in technology development and talent training, aiming to form original and breakthrough high-level research and industrial achievements, and jointly build a platform for the cultivation of outstanding talents and high-level scientific research and industrialization.
“We have carried out technical verification and optimization work around the hybrid polyanion cathode and the composite biomass hard carbon anode.” Tengfei, chairman of Naipu New Energy, said that through the school-enterprise joint technical research model, we will promote the solution of the key problems of sodium-ion battery watt-hour cost, extreme fast charging and long-term cycle stability, and then launch low-cost, high-safety and long-life sodium-ion batteries that meet industry expectations.
In recent years, China’s new energy storage industry has developed rapidly. According to official data, by the end of 2023, the cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage projects that have been completed and put into operation across the country will reach 31.39 million kW/66.87 million kWh, with an average energy storage duration of 2.1 hours.
Energy storage is divided into traditional energy storage and new energy storage. Among them, the latter refers to energy storage technologies other than pumped storage, including new lithium-ion batteries, flow batteries, etc. According to the analysis of industry insiders, in 2024, the lithium battery and new energy storage industry will come to a key node.
Experts and scholars such as Zheng Qifeng, Ma Liang, and Hu Xiaogang from the School of Chemistry of South China Normal University have long been committed to the research on the performance and mechanism of sodium and potassium-ion battery materials and interface regulation, and have actively promoted energy research from the laboratory to the industry.
They believe that compared with lithium batteries, sodium batteries have low energy density and immature industrial development, but their “long-term cost competitiveness is significant”, and domestic sodium battery raw material reserves are abundant.
“Sodium-ion batteries will occupy an important position in the large-scale energy storage market in the future.” Tengfei also noticed that with the rapid development of sodium battery research, many domestic and foreign companies have made corresponding layouts.
According to reports, since the establishment of the green low-cost sodium-ion battery R&D center for more than a year, the scientific research team has carried out research and development of related basic and production technologies including cathode and anode materials, electrolyte materials, and battery manufacturing for sodium-ion batteries, and has achieved positive results.
Zheng Qifeng said that the R&D center will continue to accelerate the upgrading of sodium-ion battery technology and the industrialization of related projects, so as to provide impetus for the safety, technology and industrialization of China’s new energy advanced energy storage.
The scale of new installed capacity has increased significantly, the development of new energy storage has pressed the “acceleration button”, and more Chinese companies are also actively “going out”. Tengfei introduced that the previously developed and produced VRLA batteries (UPS batteries, solar batteries, gel batteries), new energy lithium batteries and other products are exported to overseas and have been recognized by many users in ASEAN countries. They have also set up a production base in Vietnam.
By 2025, new energy storage will enter the stage of large-scale development from the initial stage of commercialization, and will have the conditions for large-scale commercial application. By 2030, the comprehensive market-oriented development of new energy storage …… “14th Five-Year Plan” New Energy Storage Development Implementation Plan clearly sets out the “timetable”.
Some commentators believe that at present, the energy storage battery industry is facing problems such as continuous price decline and imperfect industry standards, and it is still necessary for the government, enterprises, scientific research institutions and other parties to work together to jointly promote the steady and far-reaching development of the industry, in order to achieve diversified and high-quality development of new energy storage.
