The world’s first grid–scale sodium-ion energy storage system has been deployed in China, according to domestic news outlets.
The system was officially put into operation in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and is combined with municipal power, solar and charging facilities to form a micro-grid, reported English language newspaper The Global Times.
The system’s major developer was the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has worked on the technology for 10 years.
The institute first demonstrated a 100kWh sodium-ion battery in 2019.
China has proposed a target of carbon neutrality by 2060, and is expected to widely use sodium-ion in a variety of sectors including: electric vehicles, home or industrial energy storage, 5G communication base stations and renewable energy.
Last month, UK battery maker Faradion announced that lithium-ion battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) would begin making sodium-ion batteries from July.
Image: The 100kWh Na-ion battery-based power station deployed by the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science in 2019
