Move Over Lithium: The 60-Gigawatt Rise of Sodium Grid Storage
Sodium-based battery chemistries are more stable than other lithium systems such as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) or nickel-manganese cobalt (NMC), can operate safely over a much wider range of temps, especially cold weather, and have extraordinarily long cycle lives – up to 20,000 cycles, vs about 7,000 for lithium iron phosphate and 2-3,000 for NMC batteries. Sodium batteries are also inherently less costly than lithium-based tech. Estimates are that when the industry isfully scaled, a sodium ion battery will have ~25 to 30% lower material costs than a comparable LFP battery.
The biggest drawback is energy density, at around 175 Wh/kg, compared with about 205 Wh/kg for LFP batteries and 255 Wh/kg for NMC batteries. But weight is not an issue for stationary storage and the storge industry is so large that new technologies can evolve specifically for the grid.
This new dynamic is illustrated by Ford Energy repurposing its originally designed EV battery factory to addressing the storage opportunity
A remaining U.S. is Peak Energy, with a multi-year agreement with developer Jupiter Power for up to 4.75 GWh of sodium ion battery energy storage systems. Peak has
Also shipped its first sodium batteries to be used in a shared pilot with nine utility and independent power producers.
But China - specifically Contemporary Amperex Technologies (CATL) is setting the pace. It leads in batteries globally with nearly 40% market share and 23,000 R&D employees. And it announced a 60 GWh sodium-ion cooperation agreement with Chinese firm HyperStrong for technology R&D, product applications, and project deployment.
Sodium-based battery chemistries are about to mainstream in the electric power industry, first in China, and the in other countries.