Based on reducing costs and increasing efficiency, the competition around the capacity of 20-foot energy storage cabinets this year is extremely fierce. The industry generally believes that the current 500Ah+ products have not been fully verified, and the cell capacity is close to 700Ah+.
Due to convenient transportation and moderate capacity, 20-foot energy storage cabinets are becoming the focus of competition for many enterprises. Based on reducing costs and increasing efficiency, the competition around the capacity of 20-foot energy storage cabinets this year is extremely fierce. In order to stand out in the fierce market competition, energy storage equipment manufacturers have increased R&D investment, increased capacity, and reduced costs.
However, it is generally believed in the industry that the current 500Ah+ products have not been fully verified, and the battery cell capacity is close to 700Ah+.
The need for large-capacity energy storage is not urgent
At present, although many companies are promoting new energy storage products, in fact, there are not many companies that can achieve mass production of 500Ah+ battery cells, only about five or six. The reality is that the application of 280Ah+ cells is still relatively common, and 300Ah+ cells are being accepted.
"In 2023, 280Ah+ cells will still be the mainstream, and this year manufacturers are already on the way to clear inventory" "The 5MWh energy storage system has not yet been mass-produced, and the 6MWh+ energy storage system will take office" "8MWh or even higher capacity energy storage systems will be available soon" "Individual manufacturers are already developing 1000Ah+ energy storage cells". A number of industry insiders recently lamented to the reporter of China Energy News.
Sun Wei, President of Trina Energy Storage, pointed out that although lithium iron phosphate is a relatively stable electrochemical system, it will become a bottleneck restricting its development due to infinite amplification and internal heat dissipation. "The so-called 'big' is only a development direction, but it is not an endless development. ”
When it comes to technology iteration, many industry insiders admit that they are not afraid of the iteration of large-capacity energy storage products. Because while launching new energy storage iteration products, the next generation of products is basically developed to 80%, so companies with unique technology or design capabilities will stand out.
Fan Hongjun, general manager of the energy storage division of Zhongtian Technology New Energy Industry Group, said in an interview with a reporter from China Energy News that with the help of high-tech R&D investment and precise cost control, the energy storage industry can develop healthily, so energy storage companies update new products almost every year. "However, the launch of a new product requires a variety of rigorous validation and testing, and it is not immediately available to the market. ”
In the interview, many people inside and outside the industry are full of questions about the measurement standard of large-scale energy storage cells.
"In fact, the acceptance of new energy storage products by owners and customers is still limited. Deng Wei, director of product management of Trina Energy Storage, told China Energy News, "Overseas customers are particularly obvious. They pay more attention to the stability and consistency of the product, and are cautious about the rapid iteration of capacity, hoping that the product will be verified by actual operation. At the same time, overseas customers will comprehensively consider the comprehensive capabilities of domestic manufacturers in delivery, operation and maintenance, and after-sales service, rather than product capabilities. ”
In the view of Song Bai, vice president of Kunyu Power Supply Co., Ltd., the potential safety risk of large-capacity batteries is objective, and a single large-capacity battery cell will produce more combustible gas in the process of thermal abuse, and once it encounters an open flame, it will cause rapid combustion and heat spread, which will bring higher safety risks to the entire system. It is difficult to solve this problem from the material system alone, and changing the electrolyte composition and other means will have a negative impact on the overall electrochemical performance of the battery, and the comprehensive cost will be greatly increased. ”
Industry insiders believe that the application scenarios in the field of industrial and commercial energy storage are diverse, and it is not blindly large-scale to occupy more markets, but enterprises that continue to innovate and protect the "lifeline" of energy storage safety can better stand in the market.
Safety involves the entire energy storage industry chain
With the acceleration of technology iteration, to ensure the safety of energy storage systems, enterprises need to comprehensively control digital production, full life cycle management, and efficiency improvement. At the same time, it is necessary to fully consider factors such as application scenarios, operation and maintenance security, and decommissioning safety. In the view of industry insiders, paying attention to energy storage safety in an all-round way will effectively promote the healthy development of the industry.
"Energy storage safety is a big issue that involves many aspects. Yuan Qingfeng, chief technology officer of Xinnengan, told the reporter of China Energy News, "As energy storage R&D personnel, we need to repeatedly scan and think from the first link to the final retirement, and we have not yet thought of which link has loopholes." Especially in the product design stage, the R&D team needs to integrate mechanical structure design, electrical system design, thermal management, safety of chemical materials and other aspects. In the design of flammable and explosive dangerous goods such as battery cells, in addition to physical protection, it is also necessary to consider the design of BMS boards, data acquisition, and the safety of high-voltage and low-voltage electrical in electrical aspects. Once manufactured, products are rigorously tested to ensure they meet a variety of international and national safety standards and regulations. ”
Song Bai said in an interview with a reporter from China Energy News that solving the early warning after the failure of energy storage batteries can effectively isolate the risk battery system and avoid the amplification of hidden dangers and accidents caused by continued application. "The multi-dimensional thermal spread isolation scheme between cells, battery modules, battery clusters, and DC side systems is an important means to effectively reduce the expansion of safety accidents. With the application of module-level fire protection system, risk cells can be quickly responded to and dealt with on the basis of thermal propagation, delaying the risk of thermal propagation in time, and the application of new fire protection materials will further reduce the temperature of battery failure, slow down the generation rate of combustible gas, and gain valuable time for further implementation of safety measures. ”
Sun Wei believes that in terms of product structure, the internal physical structure can be optimized to reduce the heating and overheating caused by circulation, so as to reduce the safety risk. At the same time, on the basis of active innovation and R&D, we have developed new formula cells, especially those that can withstand high temperatures. "Once this scientific research progress is successfully introduced to the market, it will greatly improve the safety of energy storage products. ”
Controlling safety is the key
The energy storage system involves multiple components such as battery cells, mechanical parts, and electrical equipment, and any mistake in any link may lead to safety accidents. In the view of industry insiders, energy storage companies should not only consider the design, manufacturing, verification and testing stages of the product itself, but also consider the whole life cycle links such as transportation, installation, application, and decommissioning.
In Fan Hongjun's view, various safety factors need to be considered in the design of energy storage system products, such as the selection of battery cell materials, the production control of battery cells, the electrical clearance from the process level to the system design, the creepage distance and the selection of integrated components.
"In terms of the safety of energy storage products, safety control at the cell level is very important. Zhu Yansong, president of the energy storage division of Xinneng'an, told the "China Energy News" reporter that especially before the battery cells go offline, there will be thousands of quality monitoring points to monitor temperature, humidity, dust, etc. With long cycle, high safety, low temperature resistance, and thermal runaway prevention as the core technology, it is very important to optimize the production process through digital production and intelligent manufacturing, ensure the quality of the battery cells, and achieve PPB-level battery cells.
Yuan Qingfeng emphasized that the safety performance of energy storage products must be verified in various application scenarios, including the conditions of use in the home environment, as well as the bad weather that may be encountered outdoors. "When designing products, R&D personnel should start from the user's perspective and fully consider the safety issues in the use and maintenance process. In addition, the decommissioned products should be properly disposed of during the decommissioning stage to avoid impacting the environment and personal safety. ”
Text丨Reporter Sunan
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Editor丨Yang Xiaoran