Japanese ceramics manufacturer NGK Insulators and German BASF New Business (BNB) are expanding their business relationship to develop the next generation of sodium-sulfur batteries.
NGK and BNB, a wholly owned subsidiary of the German chemical company BASF, have entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) to develop sodium-sulfur (NaS) batteries for stationary applications.
The JDA will see BASF contribute its chemistry expertise while NGK will harness its experience in battery design and manufacturing.
Tatsumi Ichioka, general manager of the NaS battery division at NGK, said: “As we move towards the next generation of sodium-sulfur batteries, the interplay between the chemical processes taking place at battery cell level and the battery modules as a whole system becomes more and more crucial.
“BASF’s chemical expertise and our know-how in the design and production of battery modules and systems complement each other perfectly here.”
BASF’s e-power management director Dr. Frank Prechtl said the technology was ideally suited for the long duration energy storage markets and the JDA would ‘significantly broaden the application spectrum for these batteries’.
The agreement follows a sales partnership in July between the firms to sell lithium-ion and sodium-sulfur batteries developed by NGK. BASF hopes the deal will enable it to enter the energy storage market, said Prechtl at the time.
Image: Right Dr. Frank Prechtl (BASF New Business) Tatsumi Ichioka (NGK Insulators LTD)
